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Consumer Sensory Evaluations of Aging Effects on Beef Quality
Author(s) -
Brewer S.,
Novakofski J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1750-3841
pISSN - 0022-1147
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2007.00575.x
Subject(s) - tenderness , flavor , food science , sensory system , lipid oxidation , chemistry , psychology , antioxidant , biochemistry , cognitive psychology
The most important sensory attribute affecting consumer acceptability is tenderness, which is a complex trait. Aging is the practice of holding meat at low temperatures to improve tenderness. In order to assess consumer quality attributes, cattle were selected to represent a range of quality grades from Utility to Prime. Steaks from these cattle were aged in vacuum bags for 0, 7, or 14 d, cut, and cooked on open hearth grills to 70 °C. Sensory evaluation was completed by consumers ( n = 522). Warner–Bratzler (WB) shear and various physical characteristics were also determined. Shear values decreased with aging time and tenderness increased. Consumers perceived the majority of change in tenderness occurred during the first 7 d of aging while change in WB shear was similar during the first 7 d and the second 7 d of aging. Aging had no effect ( P > 0.05) on juiciness, flavor, pH, lipid content, or water content of steaks.