Effects of marbling and shear force on consumers' willingness to pay for beef strip loin steaks

Abstract

Experimental economic procedures were used to measure the effects of changes in marbling score and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) value on consumer purchasing behavior and willingness to pay for beef strip loin steaks (n = 541). Consumers were more likely to bid on a steak during the experimental auction if the steak had a high marbling score or low WBSF value. Averaging across all consumers in the study (n = 489), the predicted odds that consumers would submit a nonzero bid were favorable for steaks with a marbling score greater than Modest(50) or a WBSF value less than 3.9 kg. Bid prices for steaks were analyzed with respect to changes in steak marbling score, WBSF value, quality grade marketing category classification (Select, Low Choice, Premium Choice, and Prime), and WBSF marketing category classification (very tender, <or= 3.4 kg; slightly tender, 3.41 to 4.40 kg; slightly tough, 4.41 to 5.40 kg; or very tough, > 5.40 kg). The percentage of bids that were zero was highest (P < 0.05) for Select steaks, intermediate (P < 0.05) for Low Choice steaks, and lower (P <0.05) for Premium Choice or Prime steaks. Steaks in the very tender category had the lowest (P < 0.05) percentage of zero bids, and steaks in the slightly tough and very tough categories had the highest (P < 0.05) percentage of zero bids submitted from "buyers" in the auction. Premium Choice and Prime steaks were valued higher (P < 0.05) than Select steaks by consumers. On average, Premium Choice steaks received a 0.89 dollars/kg premium, and Prime steaks received a 2.47 dollars/kg premium over the mean bid price for Select steaks. Predicted mean bid prices for steaks decreased by 1.02 dollars/kg for each 1 kg increase in WBSF value. On average, steaks in the very tender marketing category received a higher (P < 0.05) bid price than the bid price for steaks in the slightly tender, slightly tough, and very tough categories (+0.83 dollars/kg, +2.09 dollars/kg, and +2.55 dollars/kg, respectively). Mean bid prices for steaks from the slightly tough and very tough categories did not differ (P = 0.184). Compared with the mean bid price for steaks in the slightly tender category, steaks from the slightly tough and very tough categories were discounted (P < 0.05) by 1.26 dollars/kg and 1.72 dollars/kg, respectively. Results suggest that marbling score and WBSF influence both the probability that consumers will purchase and the price they are willing to pay for strip loin steaks.

International perspective: characterisation of United States Department of Agriculture and Meat Standards Australia systems for assessing beef quality

“…(4) Platter et al (2005) concluded that the prices consumers were willing to pay to purchase steaks increased as marbling increased, and increased as Warner-Bratzler shear force values decreased; consumers in that study were likely to purchase steaks if they had marbling scores of MT 50 or higher, or Warner-Bratzler shear force values of 3.9 kg or lower.…”

“…Platter et al (2003b) reported that: (i) marbling score displayed a significant relationship to acceptance of steaks by consumers; and (ii) the shape of the predicted probability curve for steak acceptance was approximately linear over the entire range of marbling scores (TR 67 to SA 97 ), suggesting that the likelihood of consumer acceptance of steaks increases~10% for each full marbling score increase between SL and SA. Platter et al (2005) used an experimental auction technique to determine consumer purchasing behaviour and willingness to pay for beef strip loin steaks and determined that: (i) prime steaks received a US$2.47/kg premium and upper two-thirds choice received a US$0.89/kg premium over the mean bid price for select steaks; and (ii) mean bid prices for steaks decreased by US$1.02/kg for each 1 kg increase in shear force value, with 'very tender' steaks receiving bid premiums of US$0.83/kg, US$2.09/kg and US$2.55/kg compared with 'slightly tender,' slightly tough' and 'very tough' steaks.…”

“…Of factors considered of primary importance in determining tenderness and overall palatability of cooked beef in the MSA grading system, there is ample US research-study support for use of marbling (Smith et al 1969(Smith et al , 2007Savell et al 1987Savell et al , 1989George et al 1999;Wyle 2000;Platter et al 2003bPlatter et al , 2005Gruber et al 2006), maturity (Berry et al 1974a(Berry et al , 1974bSmith et al 1982Smith et al , 1988Smith et al , 2008Hilton et al 1998), amount of B. indicus genetics (McKeith et al 1985a(McKeith et al , 1985bSherbeck et al 1995Sherbeck et al , 1996O'Connor et al 1997), sex (Choat et al 2006;Tatum et al 2007), tenderstretch carcass suspension (Smith et al , 1979(Smith et al , 2007Orts et al 1971;Hostetler et al 1975), ultimate pH (Smulders et al 1990;Tatum 1991a, 1994;Eilers et al 1996;Wulf et al 1997), meat colour (Jeremiah et al 1972;Wulf et al 1997;Cannell et al 2000;Wyle et al 2003;Vote et al 2003), fat colour (Hilton et al 1998;Wyle et al 1998Wyle et al , 2003Wyle 2000;Vote et al 2003) and subcu...…”

Feeding wet distillers grains plus solubles contributes to sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane instability

“…Tenderness has repeatedly been cited as the most important element for both eating quality and consumer purchasing decisions (Miller et al 2001;Platter et al 2005) and is a high priority for research in the meat industry (Boleman et al 1998;McKenna et al 2002;Garcia et al 2008). The mechanism of meat tenderisation is a well understood subject.…”

Value of Beef Steak Branding: Hedonic Analysis of Retail Scanner Data

“…, tenderness (Feldkamp, Schroeder, and Lusk 2005, Feuz et al 2004, Lusk et al 2001, Platter et al 2005, packaging (Menkhaus et al 1992, Harrison, Harstad, andRutstrom 2004), labeling (Loureiro and McCluskey 2000, Lusk and Fox 2002, Loureiro and Umberger 2003, organic production (Boland and Schroeder 2002), and multiple attributes and attribute bundles (Alfnes and Rickertsen 2003, Lusk, Roosen, and Fox 2003, Tonsor et al 2005, Loureiro and Umberger 2007, Parcell and Schroeder 2007, Ward, Lusk, and Dutton 2008, Martinez 2008, Froehlich, Carlberg, and Ward 2009, Hanagriff, Rhoades, and Wilmeth 2009, Abidoye et al 2011. Several of these studies paid special attention to the issue of retail beef product branding, recognizing its importance for product differentiation and for providing purchase cues to consumers.…”