Are Marbling and the Prediction of Beef Eating Quality Affected by Different Grading Sites?

Self Cite

Quality refers to the characteristics of products that meet the demands and expectations of the end users. Beef quality is a convergence between product characteristics on one hand and consumers’ experiences and demands on the other. This paper reviews the formation of consumer beef quality perception, the main factors determining beef sensory quality, and how to measure and predict beef eating quality at scientific and industrial levels. Beef quality is of paramount importance to consumers since consumer perception of quality determines the decision to purchase and repeat the purchase. Consumer perception of beef quality undergoes a multi-step process at the time of purchase and consumption in order to achieve an overall value assessment. Beef quality perception is determined by a set of quality attributes, including intrinsic (appearance, safety, technological, sensory and nutritional characteristics, convenience) and extrinsic (price, image, livestock farming systems, commercial strategy, etc.) quality traits. The beef eating qualities that are the most valued by consumers are highly variable and depend mainly on the composition and characteristics of the original muscle and the post-mortem processes involved in the conversion of muscle into meat, the mechanisms of which are summarized in this review. Furthermore, in order to guarantee good quality beef for consumers in advance, the prediction of beef quality by combining different traits in scenarios where the animal, carcass, and muscle cuts can be evaluated is also discussed in the current review.

Section: Main Methods For Measuring and Predicting Beef Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer Perception of Beef Quality and How to Control, Improve and Predict It? Focus on Eating Quality

Liu

Ellies-Oury

Stoyanchev

et al. 2022

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“…When measured at the 10th rib site, at 72 h post-mortem, there was no difference in L* value after 1 h or 24 h of exposure to air. This suggestion of an interaction between lightness and site of measurement may be due to variation in colour along the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle as described in [ 25 ] and possibly, the different susceptibilities at different positions of the LT to changes in the pre-slaughter management of the bulls. While it is recognised that comparison of the two locations is confounded by the methodology used and the timing of measurement, simultaneous assessment of treatment effects on lightness at several locations/muscles merit consideration, particularly from a commercial perspective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Does Finishing at Pasture Influence the Colour of Muscle from Suckler Bulls and Can Colour Be Used to Authenticate Their Pre-Slaughter Diet?

Moloney

O’Riordan

McGee

et al. 2022

The primary objective of this study was to compare the colour of muscle from bulls finished at pasture or indoors on a high concentrate diet. The ancillary objectives were to identify possible explanations for any differences in the colour observed and the potential of muscle colour to discriminate between bull beef from different production systems. Growth, longissimus muscle colour, fibre type composition and metabolic profile were measured in late-maturing breed sired suckler bulls slaughtered at 19 months of age after 199 days at pasture (G0), 100 days indoors after 98 days at pasture (G0AL) and indoors for 199 days (AL). When compared to bulls finished indoors and offered a high concentrate ration, the carcass weight of G0 bulls was lower, their carcasses were leaner, and their longissimus muscle was similar in lightness but less red and had a lower glycolytic metabolism. The temperature at which the longissimus muscle reached pH 6.0 was lower (19.7 °C) for G0 than for G0AL (29.9 °C) and AL (31.6 °C), which did not differ. Co-variate adjustment for this variable removed the differences in redness. Adjusting the chill settings appears to be a practical strategy for abattoirs to minimise early post-mortem differences in muscle colour between lighter grass-fed and heavier concentrate-fed carcasses. The preliminary results demonstrate the potential of both L*, a*, b* values and the visible reflectance spectra of muscle to discriminate between grass- finished and concentrate-finished bull beef, but further refinement and validation of the models is required.

“…In general, IMF highly contributes to beef eating quality with strong correlations (r = 0.74 to 0.88, p < 0.05) between IMF content and tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking being reported [ 44 ]. The contribution of marbling score to the variability in MQ4 score is up to 51% for m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum [ 45 ]. However, in the present study, no significant correlation was found between marbling score and eating quality scores assessed by both consumers and panelists.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, given that the current animals were young and lean, specific relationships might exist between animal and muscle characteristics and eating quality traits. Indeed, beef eating quality is multifactorial determined, for instance, with various effects of marbling depending on muscle cut [ 45 ] or with a low effect of breed on eating quality [ 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carcass Characteristics and Beef Quality of Young Grass-Fed Angus x Salers Bovines

Liu

Ellies-Oury

Pannier

et al. 2022

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To characterize carcass and meat attributes, such as beef eating quality in specific farming conditions, 31 young grass-fed crossbred Angus x Salers cattle in two farming systems (a mono-cattle system versus a mixed system with beef cattle and sheep) were used in this study. Three muscle cuts (striploin—m. longissimus dorsi et thoracis; bolar blade—m. triceps brachii caput longum; internal flank plate—m. obliquus internus abdominis) were used for consumer eating quality testing and striploin was used for panelist eating quality assessment, and objective measurements [Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and fatty acid (FA) and antioxidant contents]. Results indicated that the farming system had no impact on carcass characteristics or meat quality, but it tended to affect FA content, which is likely explained by between-system differences in animal maturity (assessed by ossification score). Animal gender had significant effects on three eating quality traits evaluated by untrained consumers, with higher flavor liking, overall liking, and overall meat eating quality (MQ4) scores in females than in males. Additionally, FA contents were correlated with sensory quality traits to varying extents: consumer-scored tenderness, flavor, and overall liking were mainly positively correlated with ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents, and panelist-evaluated tenderness and abnormal flavor were more positively correlated with total lipids, saturated fatty acid (SFA), and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) contents. Overall, this study showed that specific grass-fed crossbred Angus x Salers cattle can produce lean meat rich in ω-3 PUFAs with a low ω-6/ω-3 ratio and with “better than average” beef eating quality.