Effect of beef tenderness on consumer satisfaction with steaks consumed in the home and restaurant.

Loin steaks were eaten by 67 consumers over a 15-wk period (n = 739 consumer observations) to determine the consumer acceptability of beef tenderness in the home and a "white table cloth" restaurant. Steaks were rated for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall palatability on an 8-point scale. The acceptability levels for tenderness were established based on Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) force values, tenderness ratings, and a chisquare analysis of the judgment of tenderness and overall acceptability by the same consumers in both the home and restaurant. Results based only on observations from consumers in Lubbock, TX indicated that the beef industry should target production of beef steaks that have a Warner-Bratzler shear force value of 4.1 kg or less to ensure high levels (98%) of consumer acceptability. Results suggest that an acceptable level of beef tenderness for consumers can be determined and WBS values can be used as criteria for determining which steaks will be considered acceptably tender to consumers before distribution to retail outlets. The beef industry needs to conduct a nationwide research study to determine whether the results from this study will apply to all U.S. beef consumers.

Restaurant consumer acceptance of beef loin strip steaks tenderized with calcium chloride.

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.

Retail consumer acceptance of beef tenderized with calcium chloride.

Beef inside round subprimals were injected with a 200 mM calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution at 5% (wt/wt) to determine its effects on beef steak palatability and quality traits. Alternating subprimals from the right and left sides were selected for injection of CaCl2 or not injected to serve as a control. After 7 d of postmortem storage, 2.5-cm-thick steaks were cut from each subprimal for consumer evaluation (n = 478) in a retail setting. Three supermarkets with customers varying widely in income were selected as test sites for measuring consumer perceptions of the treated and control steaks and package labeling acceptance. Supermarket, income level, education, and sex were evaluated for their impact on acceptance of calcium-injected beef. Steak flavor and tenderness both were important in determining beef eating quality; 50% of consumers said tenderness was the most important and 40% said flavor was the most important. Consumers visually preferred CaCl2-treated steaks 71% of the time over the control steaks based on package labeling. The CaCl2 injection improved tenderness, juiciness, flavor desirability, and overall palatability ratings by the consumers for inside round steaks and did not cause any off-flavor problems compared with the controls. Therefore, injecting beef with a solution of 200 mM CaCl2 at 5% (wt/wt) can improve retail consumer evaluations of beef steak tenderness and reduce tenderness variation without detrimental effects on other palatability or quality traits.