There are two main types of beef aging: wet and dry aging, which result in more tender meat and in improved palatability attributes. In wet aging, the meat is placed in a vacuum pack and stored at a controlled refrigerated temperature for a specified period of time. In dry aging, beef carcasses or individual cuts are hung in a refrigerated room and age there usually for 14 - 35 days, at a temperature between 0 - 4°C, a relative humidity of about 80 % and an air flow of about 0.5 – 2.0 m/s. The key effect of dry aging is the concentration of flavour, which can only be described as »dry aged beef«. Dry aging is a traditional method of aging that was used before the recent development of vacuum packaging. However, today this method is only used by a small number of processors, mainly for upscale restaurants. It is a time consuming process that requires controlled conditions for the desired result. In addition, the retail yield of dry-aged meat is significantly lower than that of wet-aged meat. Therefore, only the best cuts of meat with good marbling are dry aged. All these factors are the reason why such aged meat is about 25 % more expensive than unaged or wet-aged meat. However, consumers who swear by the distinct taste of dry-aged beef are willing to pay more for this product.
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