Comparing consumer liking of beef from three feeding systems using a combination of traditional and temporal liking sensory methods

Research on the effects of animal diet on consumer liking of beef has yielded conflicting results. Currently it is unknown whether dynamic changes occur in liking during consumption of beef. This study applied a combination of traditional and temporal (free and structured) liking methods to determine consumer liking of beef derived from animals that were fed grain (GF), grass silage plus grain (SG) or grazed grass (GG) during finishing. Three separate panels of beef eating consumers (n = 51; n = 52; n = 50) were recruited from Teagasc Food Research Centre, Dublin, Ireland to assess striploin steaks from animals fed either GF, SG, or GG. Using the free temporal liking (TL) method, results revealed that beef from GF animals was liked significantly less (p ≤ 0.05) in terms of overall liking, tenderness and juiciness, when compared to steaks from the SG and GG animals. These effects were not observed using the structured TL or traditional liking methods. Further analysis showed the evolution of scores over time was significant (p ≤ 0.05) for all attributes using the free TL method. Overall, the free TL method yielded more discriminative data and was perceived as easier to perform by consumers compared to the structured TL method. These results show that the free TL method may provide an opportunity to elicit more in-depth information regarding consumer sensory response to meat.

Beef Quality Preferences: Factors Driving Consumer Satisfaction

The current study was designed to broaden the understanding of the attributes impacting the sensory properties of beef when consumed. Using a survey of consumers from three different geographical regions in the United States (US), we determined the impacts of three attributes on overall satisfaction in several different ways. The two main statistical methods used were an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model and the Conditional Logit model. Perhaps the most important finding of this study was that flavor was the largest contributor to consumer satisfaction. This finding was consistent throughout all the models. In the base model, flavor represented 59% of the satisfaction rating. Additionally, results indicated domestic beef was preferred over Australian beef by US consumers. Another important finding of the study was the impact of the demographic variables of age, income, and gender on satisfaction. The older group generally placed more emphasis on tenderness, while younger people preferred juicier beef. Males were more responsive than females for all attributes, especially tenderness. Those with higher income were more responsive to tenderness for all quality levels, but the lower income group was more responsive to juiciness. Overall, flavor had the largest impact on consumers' satisfaction level in comparison to tenderness or juiciness.