The effects of cooking temperature (60-80 degrees C), time (15-60 min) and treatments (atmospheric pressure, sous-vide and cook-vide) on M. pectoralis beef steaks were investigated. Cooking losses as well as the physical properties (color, texture) of the meat cooked using the different procedures was compared. Changes in the microstructure of the endomysium and perimysium were assessed using cryo-scanning electron microscopy. The continuous vacuum cooking (cook-vide) is able to reduce the temperature during cook procedure. When color was analysed after the treatments. it was not the smaller oxygen present that seems to affect the changes observed, but rather the temperature effect. The vacuum cooking does not imply greater weight losses than when carried out at atmospheric pressure in the same temperatures. In the cook-vide treatment, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between 60 and 70-80 degrees C were observed. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.