Flavor characterization of top-blade, top-sirloin, and tenderloin steaks as affected by pH, maturity, and marbling

A current review of U.S. beef flavor II: Managing beef flavor

Beef flavor continues to be one of the largest drivers of beef demand and a differentiation point of beef from other competing proteins. Tenderness has long been identified as the most important palatability trait for consumer satisfaction. However, as technological advancements and industry practices evolve and improve in response to tenderness management, flavor has emerged as a key driver of consumer satisfaction. In response, the beef industry has recently invested in research focused on beef flavor development, measurement, and management to better understand the factors impacting flavor and help beef maintain this advantage. The current review paper is the second of two such papers focused on summarizing the present knowledge and identifying knowledge gaps. While the other review focuses on current practices related to beef flavor measurement, this review will cover research findings related to beef flavor management. Numerous production and product management factors influence beef flavor. Pre-harvest factors including marbling level, animal genetics/cattle type, diet, and animal age, can influence beef flavor. Moreover, numerous post-harvest product management factors, including product type, aging length and conditions, cookery methods, product enhancement, muscle-specific factors, packaging, retail display factors, and antimicrobial interventions, have all been evaluated for their impact on beef flavor characteristics. Results from numerous studies evaluating many of these factors will be outlined within this review in order to present management and production chain factors that can influence beef flavor.

Molecular mechanisms contributing to the development of beef sensory texture and flavour traits and related biomarkers: Insights from early post-mortem muscle using label-free proteomics

Beef sensory quality comprises a suite of traits, each of which manifests its ultimate phenotype through interaction of muscle physiology with environment, both in vivo and post-mortem. Understanding variability in meat quality remains a persistent challenge, but omics studies to uncover biological connections between natural variability in proteome and phenotype could provide validation for exploratory studies and offer new insights. Multivariate analysis of proteome and meat quality data from Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle samples taken early post-mortem from 34 Limousin-sired bulls was conducted. Using for the first-time label-free shotgun proteomics combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), 85 proteins were found to be related with tenderness, chewiness, stringiness and flavour sensory traits. The putative biomarkers were classified in five interconnected biological pathways; i) muscle contraction, ii) energy metabolism, iii) heat shock proteins, iv) oxidative stress, v) regulation of cellular processes and binding. Among the proteins, PHKA1 and STBD1 correlated with all four traits, as did the GO biological process 'generation of precursor metabolites and energy'. Optimal regression models explained a high level (58-71%) of phenotypic variability with proteomic data for each quality trait. The results of this study propose several regression equations and biomarkers to explain the variability of multiple beef eating quality traits. Thanks to annotation and network analyses, they further suggest protein interactions and mechanisms underpinning the physiological processes regulating these key quality traits. SIGNIFICANCE: The proteomic profiles of animals with divergent quality profiles have been compared in numerous studies; however, a wide range of phenotypic variation is required to better understand the mechanisms underpinning the complex biological pathways correlated with beef quality and protein interactions. We used multivariate regression analyses and bioinformatics to analyse shotgun proteomics data to decipher the molecular signatures involved in beef texture and flavour variations with a focus on multiple quality traits. We developed multiple regression equations to explain beef texture and flavour. Additionally, potential candidate biomarkers correlated with multiple beef quality traits are suggested, which could have utility as indicators of beef overall sensory quality. This study explained the biological process responsible for determining key quality traits such as tenderness, chewiness, stringiness, and flavour in beef, which will provide support for future beef proteomics studies.

Muscle fibre type composition influences the formation of odour-active volatiles in beef

Flavour is a key driver of consumer liking, and odour-active volatiles formed in cooking are important contributors to the flavour of cooked beef. We hypothesised that the formation of odour-active volatiles in beef are influenced by the contents of type I oxidative and type II glycolytic muscle fibres. To test our hypothesis, we combined ground masseter (type I) and cutaneous trunci (type II) into beef patties, cooked them, then their volatile profiles were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Antioxidant capacity, pH, total heme protein, free iron, and fatty acid composition of these patties were also measured to investigate their relationship to volatile formation. Our study showed that beef composed of more type I fibres had higher 3-methylbutanal and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, but less lipid-derived volatiles, and this could be partially attributed to the higher antioxidant capacity, pH, and total heme protein content in type I fibres. The results of our study indicate that fibre-type composition plays an important role in volatile formation and hence flavour of beef.

The effect of aging on beef taste, aroma and texture, and the role of microorganisms: a review

The present review summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of three different aging methods (traditional dry aging, wet aging in vacuum shrink pack and dry aging in a highly moisture-permeable bag), discusses the effects of aging on beef which focus on the formation of taste-active compounds and aroma-active compounds and texture changes, and speculates the role of microbes. All these three aging methods can improve the aroma, flavor and texture of beef to varying degrees. It is concluded that the improvement in the taste during aging may be attributed to the following three aspects: First, the release of reducing sugars from the transition of glycogen and ATP; Second, the formation of free amino acids (FAAs) and peptides through proteolysis; Third, IMP, GMP, inosine and hypoxanthine which are produced by the degradation of nucleotides. The improvement of aroma is related to the volatile aroma-active components, which are produced by the thermal oxidation/degradation of fatty acids and the Maillard reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars during aging. And the change of texture is mainly owing to the degradation of cytoskeletal myofibrin and collagen with intramural connective tissue in meat by the endogenous proteolysis system. The role of microorganism in aging will be the main direction of further research.

Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry: A Review on Its Application to the Red Meat Industry with an Australian Context

The red meat supply chain is a complex network transferring product from producers to consumers in a safe and secure way. There can be times when fragmentation can arise within the supply chain, which could be exploited. This risk needs reduction so that meat products enter the market with the desired attributes. Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) is a novel ambient mass spectrometry technique originally developed for rapid and accurate classification of biological tissue which is now being considered for use in a range of additional applications. It has subsequently shown promise for a range of food provenance, quality and safety applications with its ability to conduct ex vivo and in situ analysis. These are regarded as critical characteristics for technologies which can enable real-time decision making in meat processing plants and more broadly throughout the sector. This review presents an overview of the REIMS technology, and its application to the areas of provenance, quality and safety to the red meat industry, particularly in an Australian context.

Postmortem Aging Time and Marbling Class Effects on Flavor of Three Muscles From Beef Top Loin and Top Sirloin Subprimals

This study evaluated postmortem aging time and marbling class effects on flavor attributes of longissimus lumborum, gluteus medius, and biceps femoris steaks. Carcasses selected to have Lower Small (Small00 to Small49; n = 50) or Upper Slight (Slight50 to Slight99; n = 50) marbling were assigned to aging treatments (14, 21, 28, or 35 d) in an incomplete block arrangement. A trained sensory panel evaluated longissimus lumborum, gluteus medius, and biceps femoris steaks for tenderness, juiciness, and 31 flavor notes. Tenderness increases with aging time were linear (P < 0.001) in longissimus lumborum and gluteus medius steaks and quadratic (P = 0.001) in biceps femoris steaks. Aging response of rancid flavor in longissimus lumborum steaks was cubic (P = 0.01), whereas the aging response of bloody/serumy flavor in biceps femoris steaks was quadratic (P = 0.03). Compared with Upper Slight marbling, carcasses with Lower Small marbling produced longissimus lumborum steaks with greater (P < 0.01) beef flavor and lesser (P = 0.001) bitter flavor, gluteus medius steaks with greater (P = 0.05) brown/roasted flavor, and biceps femoris steaks with greater (P = 0.02) fat-like flavor, although differences were small. Principal component analysis indicated that bloody/serumy, sour, metallic, and bitter flavor attributes were the strongest contributors to a factor explaining 38% of longissimus lumborum flavor variation. Barnyard, bitter, sour, rancid, and bloody/serumy were the greatest contributors to a principal component explaining 41% of gluteus medius flavor. Barnyard, rancid, sour, bloody/serumy, and bitter were contributors to a component explaining 63% of biceps femoris sirloin cap flavor variance. Sample score plots indicated that neither aging time nor marbling class was associated with principal components and identified production lot as contributing to principal components explaining flavor variation in all 3 muscles. Results indicate that, in strip loin and top sirloin subprimals from carcasses with Upper Slight and Lower Small marbling scores, aging time and marbling class had little impact on beef flavor. Thus, increased aging times could be used to enhance tenderness with no adverse effects on other important palatability attributes.

Ultimate pH effects on dry-aged beef quality

This study aimed to evaluate pH effects on moisture loss and meat quality characteristics of dry-aged beef. Strip loins from six normal pH carcasses (pH = 5.47 ± 0.02) and dark cutting (DC) strip loins from six high pH carcasses (pH = 6.69 ± 0.09) were obtained. One strip loin from each carcass was dry aged and one was wet aged, giving four treatments: DRY, DRY-DC, WET, and WET-DC. Loins were aged for 42 d. Ultimate pH did not affect the rate or amount of moisture loss, trim loss, yield, or tenderness in dry-aged beef (P > 0.05). In general, DC steaks had the lowest lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) values, regardless of aging method (P < 0.05). Discoloration scores and TBARS values for DC steaks remained low throughout retail display. Dry aging significantly reduced bacterial counts mitigating the microbial damages associated with DC. Flavor characteristics of DC were not improved by dry aging when compared to dry-aged loins from carcasses with normal pH.

Effects of Enhancement and Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Flavor and Tenderness of Dark-Cutting Beef

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of rosemary/beef flavor enhancement and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on retail display color and palatability of beef longissimus lumborum muscle. Dark-cutting beef strip loins (n = 8; pH &gt; 6.0) and USDA Low Choice beef strip loins (n = 5) were selected from a commercial packing plant within 72 h of harvest. Dark-cutting strip loins were divided into 2 equal sections and randomly assigned to either nonenhanced or rosemary/beef flavor–enhanced treatments. Dark-cutting enhanced loins were injected to 110% of their green weight with a rosemary/beef flavor enhancement to attain 0.1% rosemary, 0.5% salt, and 0.55% beef flavor in the final product. Six 2.54-cm-thick steaks were cut from nonenhanced USDA Choice, nonenhanced dark-cutting, and enhanced dark-cutting strip loins and randomly assigned to one of 3 packaging treatments: vacuum packaging, carbon monoxide MAP (0.4% CO, 69.6% N, and 30% CO2), and high-oxygen MAP (80% O2 and 20% CO2). Following 3-d retail display, instrumental color measurements were recorded, and one steak from each packaging type was evaluated by a trained sensory taste panel and another used to measure Warner-Bratzler shear force. Enhanced dark-cutting steaks packaged in high-oxygen MAP and carbon monoxide MAP had greater a* values (P &lt; 0.0001) than dark-cutting steaks in vacuum packaging. Enhanced dark-cutting steaks were lighter (P &lt; 0.0001, greater L* values) than nonenhanced dark-cutting steaks. Nonenhanced dark-cutting steaks exhibited a lower (P = 0.03) overall juiciness compared to enhanced dark-cutting steaks. Enhanced and nonenhanced dark-cutting steaks were more tender (P = 0.002) than the USDA Choice steaks. Enhanced dark-cutting steaks had higher (P = 0.006) sour flavor in vacuum packaging than other packaging types. The results suggest that rosemary/beef flavor enhancement has the potential to improve the surface color of dark-cutting beef while improving or maintaining palatability.

Meat and sensory quality of major muscles from Angus, Charolais, and Angus crossbred steers with high and low residual feed intake

Effects of residual feed intake (RFI) and genetic group on growth, carcass, and meat quality characteristics of bovine longissimus lumborum (LL), triceps brachii (TB), semimembranosus (SM), and gluteus medius (GM) muscles were investigated using 72 purebred Angus, purebred Charolais, and Angus crossbred steers (n = 24 per genetic group) classified as either high (inefficient) or low (efficient) RFI (n = 12 high and low RFI steers within genetic group). There was no RFI effect (P > 0.05) on growth, carcass, and meat quality measurements except high RFI steers had the highest dry matter intake (P < 0.05), and low RFI TB was rated as having reduced beef flavour intensity and sustained juiciness (P < 0.05). Purebred Angus and Charolais LL and GM had lower shear force values (P < 0.05) than Angus crossbreds and ageing reduced mean shear force values except in TB. For TB, SM, and GM, Angus crossbred steers had the highest mean beef flavour intensity scores, and Charolais SM and TB were less tender than those of Angus crossbred (P < 0.05). Overall, RFI did not influence most meat quality traits; therefore, low RFI animals may contribute to reducing feed costs or environmental impact without compromising meat quality and palatability.

The effect of aging and muscle type on the quality characteristics and lipid oxidation of lamb meat

The research carried out on meat from 45 ram lambs of the Polish merino breed allowed to determine the effect of meat aging and muscle type on physicochemical characteristics and oxidative stability of lipids. Analysis of physicochemical traits (pH, meat color, expressed juice, cooking loss, shear force, moisture, protein, fat and total collagen content) was performed on fresh and meat aged for 14 d in the longissimus lumborum (LL) and gluteus medius (GM) muscles. The meat aging determined all physicochemical characteristics except protein and fat content. More changes in pH and meat color parameters were defined in the GM muscle compared to the LL muscle. The increase in the tenderness of meat expressed as a reduction ( P < 0.05 ) of shear force values was observed in both muscles aged for 14 d. A lower value ( P < 0.05 ) of the shear force, despite the higher content of collagen, was determined in the GM muscle compared to LL. The investigated muscles differed in the degree of lipid peroxidation expressed as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in both fresh and aged meat. The TBARS value was lower ( P < 0.05 ) in the LL muscle than in GM. In the longissimus lumborum muscle, the significantly lower content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and PUFA n-6 has been recorded. The oxidation stability was not influenced by the meat aging.

Evaluation of palatability and muscle composition of novel value-added beef cuts

The aim of this study was to evaluate the muscle profile of novel added-value beef cuts including the caudal tip of the M. infraspinatus (Bonanza Cut; TIP) and M. subscapularis (SUB) and two traditional sirloin steak cuts, M. gluteus medius (top sirloin; GLM) and M. rectus femoris (sirloin tip; REC). Samples were subjected to Warner-Braztler Shear Force (WBSF), sensory, cooking loss, and proximate analysis. The muscle TIP had superior values of subjective tenderness, juiciness, and slight off-flavor intensity when compared to all other muscles. The TIP and SUB were similar in WBSF. Cooking loss and moisture values of raw samples were lowest for TIP. Results suggest that TIP can provide enhanced eating experience for consumers and improved marketability for the meat industry.

The effects of degree of dark cutting on tenderness and sensory attributes of beef

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of degree of dark cutting (DC) on the tenderness, juiciness, and flavor attributes of beef. During carcass grading at a large U.S. commercial beef harvesting facility, DC carcasses ( = 160) and matching normal control (NC) carcasses ( = 160) were selected. Longissimus lumborum (LL) pH was determined and DC carcasses were classified as severe (severe dark cutter [SEDC]; mean pH = 6.9; = 40), moderate (moderate dark cutter [MODC]; mean pH = 6.6; n = 40), mild (mild dark cutter [MIDC]; mean pH = 6.4; = 40), or shady (shady dark cutter [SHDC]; mean pH = 6.1; = 40). Strip loins were obtained from the left carcass sides, vacuum-packaged, and aged at 1°C. Slice shear force (SSF) was measured (14 d postmortem) fresh (never frozen), and trained descriptive sensory analysis of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor was measured (13 d postmortem) on frozen/thawed LL steaks. Cooked SSF pieces were frozen and used for western blotting of desmin to determine extent of postmortem proteolysis. Thaw and cook loss decreased as intensity of DC increased, with SEDC having the lowest loss (1.83 and 10.1%, respectively) compared with NC (3.37 and 14.9%, respectively). Slice shear force was higher (P < 0.05) for SHDC (25.6 kg) and MIDC (22.9 kg) compared with SEDC (16.8 kg), MODC (19.4 kg), and NC (17.8 kg). Sarcomere length was shorter ( < 0.05) between DC class (1.66, 1.67, 1.71, and 1.73 μm for SEDC, MODC, MIDC, and SHDC, respectively) and NC (1.86 μm). Postmortem proteolysis of desmin was greater ( < 0.05) for NC compared with all DC classes (59.83% vs. 49.20, 40.31, 42.07, and 43.30% for SEDC, MODC, MIDC, and SHDC, respectively). Trained sensory panel ratings for tenderness differed ( < 0.05) among DC class with SEDC (6.51) the most tender followed by MODC (6.04) and then MIDC (5.19), whereas SHDC (4.66) and NC (4.93) were the toughest. Juiciness ratings differed ( < 0.05) among each DC class (5.9, 5.7, 5.4, and 5.2 for SEDC, MODC, MIDC, and SHDC, respectively), with no difference between MIDC or SHDC compared with NC (5.23). Fat-like, rancid, heated oil, chemical, and musty/earthy/hummus flavors increased ( < 0.05) whereas metallic, sour, and salty flavors decreased as severity of DC increased. This study showed DC and NC differed in LL tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. The direction and/or magnitude of those differences were greatly dependent on severity of DC. Steaks with intermediate pH (SHDC and MIDC) are most likely to be tough and are regularly included in U.S. Select and U.S. Choice product lines.

Postmortem Aging of Beef with a Special Reference to the Dry Aging

Animal muscles are stored for specific period (aging) at refrigerated temperatures, during and after which the living muscles start to convert into meat and thus, attain certain superior properties in the final product. Proteolysis, lipolysis, and oxidation are the major biochemical processes involved during the postmortem aging of meat that affect the tenderness, juiciness, and flavor, as well as sometimes may introduce certain undesirable traits. This review analyzes the role of pre- and post-mortem factors that are important for aging and their effect on the chemical and physical changes in the “dry- and wet-aged meat.” Thus, if the meat processing manufacturers optimize the effects of aging for specific muscles, the palatability, color, and the shelf life of the aged meat products could be significantly enhanced.

Effect of cut type and post-mortem ageing on the technological quality, textural profile and sensory characteristics of horse meat

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of cut type and ageing period on the technological quality, colour, texture and sensory characteristics of horse meat. Nine different cuts: loin, shoulder chuck roll, shank, outside round, tenderloin, shoulder clod, brisket, top round and striploin from 28-month-old female horses were used in the present investigation. The cuts were randomly assigned into 2, 10, 20 and 30 days’ ageing groups and ageing was carried out in a chilling room (2 ± 2°C). The results showed that there were significant (P < 0.05) differences among the cuts for the drip loss, pH and cooking loss at all ageing days; particularly, striploin had the lowest pH and highest drip loss whereas shoulder chuck roll had the highest pH value. Ageing significantly (P < 0.05) increased in pH and drip loss in most cuts with the highest drip loss ~5.17% in striploin and the highest cooking loss ~9.27% in shoulder chuck roll after 30 days of ageing. At Day 2 of ageing, no differences in Warner–Bratzler shear force values occurred between the cuts (P > 0.05). Ageing only decreased Warner–Bratzler shear force in the loin and outside round (P < 0.05). Colour parameters also revealed differences between cuts and ageing periods, particularly the L* (lightness) values ranged between the cuts from 34.38 to 37.14, 34.0 to 37.24, 33.24 to 37.07, and 34.7 to 38.92 at Days 2, 10, 20 and 30 of ageing, respectively; similarly the a* (redness) values ranged between the cuts from 16.76 to 17.81, 16.61 to 17.85, 17.46 to 19.46, and 17.72 to 20.47 at Days 2, 10, 20 and 30 of ageing, respectively. For the compression, the lowest hardness values (4.41–5.73 kg) were found in tenderloin at all ageing days. Furthermore, the scores for tenderness, flavour, juiciness and acceptability were different (P < 0.05) among the cuts at all ageing days. Ageing improved flavour of loin, shank and striploin, and juiciness of tenderloin and striploin whereas it decreased the juiciness and acceptability scores of some cuts (e.g. shoulder chuck roll). Thus, the present data provide not only useful information for horse meat producers but also important databases for further investigations.

Aging implications on fresh muscle traits of Certified Angus Beef steaks

Vacuum-packaged Certified Angus Beef (CAB) subprimals ( = 72) that included the longissimus thoracis (LT), longissimus lumborum (LL), gluteus medius (GM), and infraspinatus (IF) muscles were purchased from a major beef packing facility. Subprimals were allocated to 1 of 3 aging periods (14, 28, or 42 d) and aged at 2°C. After aging, 5 steaks were cut from each subprimal and assigned to pH, water-holding capacity, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), cooked color, cooking yield, cooking loss, and sensory panel analysis. Infraspinatus steaks were more tender ( < 0.05) than all other steaks, and subprimals aged 14 d had greater ( < 0.05) WBSF values than the other 2 aging periods, regardless of muscle. Water-holding capacity and cook yield were greater ( < 0.05) for LL and LT than IF and GM steaks, whereas purge loss was greater ( < 0.05) for IF and GM than LL and LT steaks. Throughout the aging periods, pH declined for all muscle groups, with IF steaks having the greatest ( < 0.05) pH values among all muscles. Among IF steaks, sensory evaluations of all attributes did not ( ≥ 0.26) differ across aging periods; yet among LT steaks, consumers rated those aged 14 d greater ( < 0.05) in overall impression than LT steaks aged 28 and 42 d. Among LT steaks, those aged 14 d received greater ( < 0.05) flavor ratings than LT steaks subjected to longer aging periods, and LT steaks aged 14 d received the greatest ( < 0.05) overall impression, with consumers giving greater ( < 0.05) overall impression scores to LT steaks aged 42 d over those aged 28 d. Aging period had no effect ( ≥ 0.017) on consumer ratings for flavor, tenderness, juiciness, or overall impression of LL steaks. Among GM steaks, consumers rated steaks aged 14 and 28 d more ( < 0.05) flavorful than those aged 42 d, and consumer ratings for overall impression were greater ( < 0.05) for GM steaks aged 28 d than for GM steaks aged 42 d; however, consumers failed ( = 0.035) to note differences in tenderness scores of GM steaks in response to aging period. Furthermore, consumers indicated a greater ( < 0.05) likelihood to purchase LT steaks aged 14 d over LT steaks aged 28 d, LL steaks aged 42 d over LL steaks aged 14 d, and GM steaks aged 14 and 28 d over GM steaks aged 42 d. These results indicate that consumers struggled to identify steak flavor attributes and suggest that the benefit of aging for premium beef products does not offer a tremendous sensory advantage to the consumer.

Beef longissimus eating quality increases up to 20 weeks of storage and is unrelated to meat colour at carcass grading

Optimal beef meat colour is associated with increased consumer acceptance, whereas dark or pale meat has a reduced desirability. Dark beef also has a variable eating quality and reduced shelf-life. We hypothesised that a poor meat colour at carcass grading would generate an unacceptable eating quality after vacuum-packed chilled storage for up to 20 weeks, due to the unfavourable pH conditions commonly associated with light and dark muscles. At three beef processing plants, beef longissimus muscles from 81 pasture- and grain-fed cattle (mix of Bos taurus and Bos indicus × Bos taurus) were graded at ~24 h post-slaughter for meat colour. The carcasses were allocated to light, medium and dark colour groups, with n = 27 carcasses per colour group. From the 81 carcasses, a total of 162 longissimus lumborum (LL) muscles was collected and half LLs were randomly allocated to three ageing times (2, 12, 20 weeks) within colour group and six half LLs were used per colour group within storage period and plant. Vacuum-packed muscles were stored at –1.0 ± 0.5°C for the designated period and sampled for biochemical and sensory assessments. The effects of colour group, storage week and carcass traits were analysed. Dark muscles had higher pH than the lighter ones (P < 0.05). The carcass trait dentition, feed type and fat depth did not influence the eating quality (P > 0.05). After 2, 12 and 20 weeks of vacuum-packed chilled storage; eating quality was similar for all 3 meat-colour groups (P > 0.05). With increasing storage time, all eating-quality attributes improved (P < 0.001 for all). Lipid oxidation increased with storage time and although values at 20 weeks were slightly above accepted levels for rancidity detection, MQ4 scores indicated that the meat would still be categorised as a three-star product, indicative of the opportunity to store the longissimus lumborum (LL) for this length of time, while maintaining an acceptable eating quality, regardless of meat colour at carcass grading.

Effect of muscle type and vacuum chiller aging period on the chemical compositions, meat quality, sensory attributes and volatile compounds of Korean native cattle beef

The present study demonstrates the effects of different muscle types and chiller ageing periods on the chemical composition, meat quality parameters, sensory characteristics and volatile compounds of Karean native cattle beed. Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles aged for 7 days and 28 days were used. Moisture, cooking loss, total collagen and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) values for the ST were higher than the LD muscle regardless of ageing period (P < 0.05). The LD muscle had higher intramuscular fat (IMF) (P < 0.05). Ageing for 28 days decreased WBSF values whereas it increased thiobarbituric acid of both muscles. Moreover, tenderness, juiciness and flavor scores were significantly higher for the LD muscle at both ageing periods. Increased ageing time improved tenderness of both muscles, and increased juiciness of the LD muscle, whereas there was decreased flavor score of ST muscle (P < 0.05). The majority of the volatile compounds formed from the oxidation of lipids showed differences between the two muscles. Ageing for 28 days increased in the amounts of many volatile compounds; however, the amounts of some important volatile compounds were decreased. These results clearly demonstrate that muscle type and ageing have a potential effect on meat quality, sensory characteristics and volatile profile.

Increased intramuscular fat improves both 'chewiness' and 'hardness' as defined in ISO5492:1992 of beef Longissimus muscle of Holstein × Japanese black F1 steers

It is considered that high-fat beef is more 'tender' than low-fat beef in Japanese consumers. However, 'tenderness' which has been an important beef characteristic, has not been commonly defined. ISO5492:1992 provides internationally established items for sensory texture analysis with simple definitions, and the items classified under 'chewiness' and 'hardness' as defined in the international standard are characterized as useful texture descriptors for beef. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of intramuscular fat on beef texture using the ISO5492 texture vocabulary. Longissimus muscles were harvested from Holstein × Japanese black F1 beef steers with different intramuscular fat levels and were subjected to sensory tests by a trained panel using ISO5492:1992 texture terms. Correspondence analysis indicated that the intramuscular fat level was related to both 'chewiness' and 'hardness' and the intensities of these characteristics decreased as intramuscular fat increased. These findings suggest that intramuscular fat improves both 'chewiness' and 'hardness' as defined in ISO5492:1992.

Effects of muscle type on beef taste-traits assessed by an electric sensing system

To assess the role of muscle fiber type in beef taste-traits, we analyzed cooked meats from bovine masseter, diaphragm, psoas major, longissimus thoracis, and semitendinosus muscles with an electric taste sensing system (INSENT SA402B). The system is composed of five taste sensors of polymer membranes fixing different lipids. The sensors, CT0, CA0, AAE, C00 and AE1 are designed to respond to the individual tastes of salty, sour, umami, bitter and astringent, respectively. The system found significant differences in the converted outputs of CA0 (cvCA0), C00 (cvC00) and AE1 (cvAE1) among the bovine muscles. The slow-type muscles (masseter and diaphragm) showed lower cvCA0, higher cvC00, and higher cvAE1 than did the fast-type muscles (psoas major, longissimus thoracis, and semitendinosus). Lactic acid content was different among muscle types and was highly related to the cvCA0 output and pH. carbonyl compounds and free fatty acids were higher in the slow-type muscles. Free fatty acids were major components causing the difference in the C00 output among the muscle types. Iron content was also different among the muscle types and related to the cvC00 and cvAE1 outputs. These results suggested that the muscle fiber type affects the beef taste characteristics.

Effect of age and cut on cooking loss, juiciness and flavour of South African beef

The juiciness and flavour characteristics of 15 aged primal beef cuts of electrically stimulated carcasses, from three different age groups, were assessed (n=61). Cooking losses were determined and proximate analyses (moisture, fat, nitrogen and ash) were performed. Tender cuts were cooked by a dry heat method, and less tender cuts were cooked by moist heat methods. A trained panel (n=10) evaluated sensory quality characteristics including initial and sustained juiciness, aroma and flavour. Flavour intensity was the biggest discriminant between the three age groups and declined with an increase in age. Initial impression of juiciness decreased with increased age of the animal and cooking losses increased nonlinearly with age, irrespective of the muscle. In contrast sustained juiciness increased with increased age. Cuts cooked according to a dry heat cooking method were reported juicier (both initial and sustained) than those cooked by moist heat methods.