Chilling rate

Considerate chilling reduces evaporative losses: cold shortening

Understand from your supplier(s) their chilling procedures – insist on considerate chilling

Pre-slaughter stress

Can lead to poor water retention/high drip loss can ensue

Visit your abattoir; Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb should undergo heavily monitored pre-slaughter checks to reduce stress levels

Meat pH

High pH meat (>pH 6.0) has low drip loss

Many factors involved (see Abattoir section)

Electrical stimulation

In conjunction with considerate chilling, Electrical Stimulation (ES) can reduce evaporation

Understand from your supplier(s) their procedures (see Abattoir section)

Size of meat pieces

Drip loss in joints and roasts are 10 times lower than in steaks and chops (due to surface area)

Understand the benefits to you and write specifications accordingly

Packaging

Pressure exerted on meat by tight fitting films can increase drip loss

Understand the implications to you and write specifications accordingly; speak to your butcher and see what other packaging methods could be used

Freezing and thawing

Drip loss can double as a result of freezing

Manage your deliveries to reduce the volume of meat that needs to be frozen; minimise non-blast (rapid) freezing, or freezing completely