Acceptability of beef steak tenderness in home and restaurant environments was evaluated by 62 consumers. Steaks (loin, ribeye, or bottom and top round) were consumed by each panelist in their home and in a fine dining restaurant. Each consumer rated steaks for tenderness and overall acceptability in the home (over a 2-mo period) and one steak per week (over a 7-wk period) in the restaurant. Acceptability for steaks consumed at home and in the restaurant ranked between 3 (moderately tough) and 4 (slightly tough) on an s-point scale.

Beef strip loins from either the right or left side of 22 carcasses of Bos indicus-type steers were injected with 200 mM calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution at 5% (wt/wt) to determine its effect on tenderness and other selected quality traits of steaks. Loins from opposite sides of the carcasses were untreated and served as the control. The steaks were evaluated for tenderness, juiciness, flavor intensity, tenderness acceptability, and overall acceptability by 62 restaurant consumers over a 6-wk period. The CaCl2 injection improved (P < .05) tenderness and flavor intensity ratings by the restaurant consumers. Tenderness acceptability and overall acceptability were improved 23 and 17%, respectively, by the CaCl2 injection. Flavor was not compromised by the CaCl2 injection. The CaCl2-treated steaks were rated superior(P < .05) for flavor compared to the control steaks. Restaurant consumers preferred the beef loin strip steaks injected with 200 mM CaCl2 at 5% (wt/wt). The results of this study are interpreted to indicate that, from a restaurant consumer perspective, CaCl2 injection is an acceptable means of making beef a more consistently tender product.