Effects of Connective Tissue Levels on Sensory, Instron, Cooking and Collagen Values of Restructured Beef Steaks

Two separate studies were conducted to evaluate variations in the amount of connective tissue remaining in beef muscle on resultant properties of flaked and formed steaks. Use of chucks rather than rounds as raw material produced greater tenderness, less sensory panel determined connective tissue and lower juiciness scores. As a team of trimmers repeated the instructed trimming procedures on round and chuck muscles over a 3-d period, it appeared that over this time more of the connective tissue was being removed from chuck and less from round muscles. For chuck muscles, more of the soluble collagen was being left on the muscles over the 3-d period. However, these differences in total and soluble collagen did not influence the properties measured. In a second study, which consisted of three (high, intermediate, low) levels of connective tissus in raw materials, texture profile panelists found a greater amount of gristle and webbed tissue (form of connective tissue) in steaks made from raw material with high connective tissue. These steaks with high connective tissue levels were also visually rated as more distorted and fibrous following cooking, with greater hardness and cohesiveness during first bite. Samples from the steaks had higher shear force and Newton values.