Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria

Abstract . The objective of this paper was to determine the effect of cold-storage time (in frozen condition) on selected physical and chemical characteristics of horsemeat and fat. Samples of the longest dorsal muscle and nape fat from horse carcasses were tested. Two time periods of 1 and 3 months were applied as a comparative criterion for meat and fat. The research was performed on 26 carcasses of adult horses (8-10 years old). It has been shown that the frozen storage process causes darkening of meat color as well as reduces the meat capacity to bind and retain water. Moreover, the frozen storage improves the meat tenderness. With the time of cold storage the peroxide value and acid number were observed to rise as the evidence of oxidizing and hydrolytic processes taken place in horse fat.