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Consumer attitudes towards beef and acceptability of enhanced beef
K Robbins1, J Jensen, K J Ryan
1Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, 202 Agricultural Bioprocessing Laboratory, 1305 West Pennsylvania, Urbana, IL 61820, USA.
Meat Science
|November 9, 2011
Summary
Enhanced beef steaks and roasts were more acceptable to consumers. However, steaks from cattle supplemented with vitamin E (E+) were less acceptable than those from non-supplemented cattle (E-).
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Food Science
- Consumer Science
Background:
- Dietary supplementation with vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate) can impact beef quality.
- Enhancement (pumping) of beef with solutions containing sodium chloride and sodium tripolyphosphate is a common industry practice.
- Consumer perception of beef quality is influenced by various factors, including sensory attributes and purchasing criteria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate consumer perceptions of quality characteristics for enhanced beef steaks and roasts from cattle fed vitamin E-supplemented diets.
- To assess consumer attitudes towards beef and identify key factors influencing purchasing decisions and eating satisfaction.
- To compare the acceptability of enhanced versus non-enhanced beef, and vitamin E-supplemented versus control diets.
Main Methods:
- Twelve steers were assigned to either a control (E-) or vitamin E-supplemented (E+) diet.
- Strip loins and rounds were either non-enhanced (control) or enhanced (pumped) with a sodium chloride and sodium tripolyphosphate solution.
- Consumers (n=103) evaluated enhanced and non-enhanced steaks and roasts for juiciness, tenderness, saltiness, and overall acceptability using a 9-point hedonic scale.
Main Results:
- Enhanced steaks and roasts received higher overall acceptability scores compared to non-enhanced controls.
- Steaks from vitamin E-supplemented cattle (E+) were rated as less acceptable than steaks from control cattle (E-).
- Consumer surveys indicated that beef steak purchase decisions were most influenced by color, price, visible fat, and cut, while eating satisfaction was primarily driven by tenderness, flavor, and juiciness.
Conclusions:
- Beef enhancement technology improves consumer acceptability of steaks and roasts.
- Vitamin E supplementation during the finishing phase may negatively impact consumer acceptability of beef steaks.
- Understanding consumer priorities in beef purchasing and consumption is crucial for product development and marketing strategies.
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