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A consumer study was conducted in Lubbock, Texas, to determine the effects of fat level of beef strip steaks on the palatability traits of tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking, while further investigating the window of acceptability for fat content of beef. Thirty beef strip loins were selected by trained personnel to equally represent USDA Prime, High Choice (upper 1/3 Choice), Low Choice (lower 1/3 Choice), Select, and Standard. Proximate analysis was conducted on all strip loins to determine percentage fat, moisture, protein, and collagen. Three strip loins from each quality grade were selected based on fat percentages from proximate analysis to best represent each USDA quality grade for use in the consumer evaluations. Strip loins were fabricated into 2.5-cm steaks, and further processed into 5 × 5 cm pieces. In addition to the US-sourced product, beef LM pieces from 6 Australian Wagyu steers (Wagyu) and 6 Australian grain finished steers (Australian) were used in the consumer evaluations. Consumers (n = 120) were served 7 samples: a warm-up sample, 1 sample from each USDA quality grade treatment, and either a Wagyu or Australian sample, in a balanced order in accordance with a 6 × 6 Latin square. Consumers rated each steak sample for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall liking and rated each palatability trait as either acceptable or unacceptable. Moreover, consumers rated each sample as unsatisfactory, good everyday quality, better than everyday quality, or premium quality. Tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking increased with increasing fat content (P < 0.05). However, Wagyu and Australian samples did not follow this trend for flavor and overall liking. A decrease in consumer acceptability of each palatability trait was observed as fat level decreased (P < 0.05). Consumer overall liking was correlated (P < 0.05) with consumer tenderness (r = 0.76) and juiciness ratings (r = 0.73), but most highly correlated with flavor liking (r = 0.88). Results of this study indicated that increased fat level in beef strip steaks positively affected tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking of beef strip steaks. Moreover, flavor liking was the most highly correlated palatability trait with overall liking. In US-sourced samples, fat level had a large effect on the flavor liking of beef as determined by consumers.

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The objective of this study was to determine the influence of beef LM nutrient components on beef palatability traits and evaluate the impact of USDA quality grade on beef palatability. Longissimus muscle samples from related Angus cattle (n = 1,737) were obtained and fabricated into steaks for trained sensory panel, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), lipid oxidation measured by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), fatty acid, and mineral composition analysis. Pearson phenotypic correlations were obtained by the correlation procedure of SAS. Beef palatability data were analyzed by the GLM procedure of SAS with USDA quality grade as the main effect. Specific mineral concentrations did not demonstrate strong correlations with WBSF or sensory traits (r = −0.14 to 0.16). However, minerals appeared to have a stronger relationship with flavor; all minerals evaluated except Ca and Mn were positively correlated (P < 0.05) with beef flavor. Stearic acid (C18:0), C18:2, C20:4, and PUFA were negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with all 3 panelist tenderness traits (r = −0.09 to −0.22) and were positively correlated (P < 0.05) with WBSF (r = 0.09 to 0.15). The MUFA were positively correlated (P < 0.05) with panelist tenderness ratings (r = 0.07 to 0.10) and negatively associated (P< 0.05) with WBSF (r = −0.11). The strongest correlations with juiciness were negative relationships (P < 0.05) with C18:2, C18:3, C20:4, and PUFA (r = −0.08 to −0.20). Correlations with beef flavor were weak, but the strongest was a positive relationship with MUFA (r = 0.13). Quality grade affected (P < 0.05) WBSF, TBARS, and all trained sensory panel traits, except livery/metallic flavor. As quality grade increased, steaks were more tender (P < 0.05), as evidenced by both WBSF and sensory panel tenderness ratings. Prime steaks were rated juiciest (P < 0.05) by panelists, whereas Select and Low Choice were similarly rated below Top Choice for sustained juiciness. Quality grade influenced (P < 0.05) beef flavor, but not in a linear fashion. Although there were significant correlations, these results indicate tenderness, juiciness, and flavor are not strongly influenced by individual nutrient components in beef LM. Furthermore, the positive linear relationships between USDA quality grade and beef palatability traits suggest quality grade is still one of the most valuable tools available to predict beef tenderness. ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to determine the influence of beef LM nutrient components on beef palatability traits and evaluate the impact of USDA quality grade on beef palatability. Longissimus muscle samples from related Angus cattle (n = 1,737) were obtained and fabricated into steaks for trained sensory panel, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), lipid oxidation measured by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), fatty acid, and mineral composition analysis. Pearson phenotypic correlations were obtained by the correlation procedure of SAS. Beef palatability data were analyzed by the GLM procedure...

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