A Comparative Study on the Meat Quality, Taste and Aroma Related Compounds between Korean Hanwoo and Chikso Cattle

The aim of this study was to compare the meat quality and taste-and-aroma-related components of beef between breeds. For this purpose, Hanwoo and Chikso steers (n = 7 per breed) raised under identical conditions until 30 months old were used. After 24 h of slaughter, longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles were collected and analyzed for technological quality, free amino acids, metabolites, and volatile compounds. The Chikso meat showed lower values for shear force and color traits (lightness, redness, and yellowness) compared to Hanwoo (p < 0.05). The Chikso presented a higher amount of sweetness-related free amino acids (alanine, proline, and threonine) in the LL muscle, while Hanwoo had a higher amount of methionine and glutamine associated with umami taste (p < 0.05). A total of 36 metabolites were identified and quantified in the meat samples; out of them, 7 compounds were affected by breed (p < 0.05). Regarding aroma compounds, a significantly higher amount of fat-derived aldehydes associated with fatty and sweet notes was found in Hanwoo, whereas a higher amount of pyrazines associated with roasty notes was found in Chikso (p < 0.05). Thus, under identical feeding conditions, breed showed a significant effect on the quality and taste-and-aroma-related components that may influence the eating quality of beef between the two breeds studied.