| In a beef checkoff-funded study conducted by Meat Science graduate students from eight land grant universities, beef package samples in eleven US cities were sampled to determine the current state of beef tenderness.
Eighty-two total stores, up to four stores from two chains in each of the eleven cities, were represented in the study - each chain represented at least one-third of total market share in their area.
Tenderness was determined based on the Warner-Bratzler shear force as well as a consumer panel evaluation. Warner-Bratzler shear force assesses the tenderness of meat by measuring the amount of force in kilograms necessary to shear multiple 1/2 - inch core samples from each cut evaluated. An initial evaluation was also carried out to determine the postmortem age of each sample.
Cuts tested included shoulder cuts, ribeye, top loin, T-bone, porterhouse, top sirloin, bottom round, top round and eye of round steaks from the full-service and self-service cases. A total of 1,391 samples were tested, and of those tested, 47% were labeled with a packer program label, while 43% had a store brand label.
|
Initial Evaluation Results |
| |
Average Days Aged |
Average Aging Period (Days) |
| 1999 |
19 |
3 to 83 |
| 2005 |
23 |
2 to 61 |
| Only 20% of retail subprimals were aged less than 14 days, a significant improvement from 34% in 1999. |
Results of the Warner-Bratzler shear force assessment for the cuts tested show that top loin, ribeye, T-bone and Porterhouse are the most tender cuts, while bottom round is the least tender cut. Consumers agreed with the Warner-Bratzler results, as they listed as their overall most liked cuts the top-loin, ribeye, T-bone and Porterhouse; they determined that the top loin and porterhouse were the most tender.
The consumer beef-eating experience continues to improve as invaluable knowledge is gathered from results of studies like this one.
| Overall, this study determined that there has been an 18% overall increase in tenderness since 1999. |
Improvements can be attributed to increased postmortem aging times, processors paying more attention to tenderness parameters and more participation in branded programs.
To view the full 2005 National Beef Tenderness Study Executive Summary, click here.
Source: 2005 National Beef Tenderness Survey, funded by the beef checkoff. |