A current review of U.S. beef flavor I: Measuring beef flavor

Historically, consumer acceptance of beef was determined by tenderness. Developments in genetics and management over the last couple of decades have improved tenderness to the point that it is secondary to other factors in beef's taste. Flavor, however, is an extraordinarily complex taste attribute dependent on biological sensors in the mouth, sinus cavity, and jaws. The culinary industry has recently focused on innovative ways to give consumers new products satisfying their curiosity about different foods, especially proteins. Competition from plant-based, cell-based, and even other animal-based proteins provides diversity in consumers' ability to select a protein that satisfies their desire to include unique products in their diet. Consequently, the beef industry has focused on flavor for the last 10 to 15 years to determine whether it can provide the guardrails for beef consumption in the future. The U.S. beef industry formed a Flavor Working Group in 2012 composed of the authors listed here to investigate new and innovative ways to manage and measure beef flavor. The results of this working group have resulted in dozens of papers, presentations, abstracts, and symposia. The objective of this manuscript is to summarize the research developed by this working group and by others worldwide that have investigated methodologies that measure beef flavor. This paper will describe the strengths of the research in beef flavor measurement and point out future needs that might be identified as technology advances.

A current review of U.S. beef flavor II: Managing beef flavor

Beef flavor continues to be one of the largest drivers of beef demand and a differentiation point of beef from other competing proteins. Tenderness has long been identified as the most important palatability trait for consumer satisfaction. However, as technological advancements and industry practices evolve and improve in response to tenderness management, flavor has emerged as a key driver of consumer satisfaction. In response, the beef industry has recently invested in research focused on beef flavor development, measurement, and management to better understand the factors impacting flavor and help beef maintain this advantage. The current review paper is the second of two such papers focused on summarizing the present knowledge and identifying knowledge gaps. While the other review focuses on current practices related to beef flavor measurement, this review will cover research findings related to beef flavor management. Numerous production and product management factors influence beef flavor. Pre-harvest factors including marbling level, animal genetics/cattle type, diet, and animal age, can influence beef flavor. Moreover, numerous post-harvest product management factors, including product type, aging length and conditions, cookery methods, product enhancement, muscle-specific factors, packaging, retail display factors, and antimicrobial interventions, have all been evaluated for their impact on beef flavor characteristics. Results from numerous studies evaluating many of these factors will be outlined within this review in order to present management and production chain factors that can influence beef flavor.

Thermophysical Properties of Beef Steaks of Varying Thicknesses Cooked With Low and High Grill Surface Temperatures

The objective of this study was to determine the thermodynamic and physical properties of beef strip loin steaks of varying thicknesses and USDA quality grades cooked with high and low grill surface temperatures. Thermal characteristics described by changes in the denaturation temperature (between 55°C – 60°C) and enthalpies of protein denaturation (70°C – 75°C) both differed (P = 0.031 and P = 0.001, respectively) among thick steaks, with thick steaks cooked on a high grill surface temperature having a lower denaturation temperature and enthalpy compared with thick steaks cooked on a low grill surface temperature. No differences (P > 0.05) were observed among thin steaks for denaturation temperature or enthalpy. The elastic behaviors of the surface and center of the steaks were analyzed to determine how the microstructure of the beef responded to applied stress. The elastic behavior of steak centers was influenced in a three-way interaction (P = 0.029) between quality grade, steak thickness, and grill surface temperature. The elastic behavior of the surface of steaks was influenced by the interaction of quality grade and steak thickness (P = 0.031). These interactions, along with the differences in the thermal characteristic of proteins, suggest that the microstructure of steaks was affected by each cooking treatment group. Hardness, resilience, and chewiness were each influenced by a three-way interaction (P = 0.023; 0.014; and 0.030; respectively). Thin steaks possessed greater cohesiveness (P = 0.038) and shear force ( P = 0.007) values. Meanwhile, thin steaks exhibited lower springiness (P = 0.002). The measured alterations in thermal and physical proper- ties in the beef steaks suggest that the composition, thickness, and cooking regiments impact the microstructure of beef, and this was ultimately confirmed through textural measurements. The results of this research can be used in the design of cooking processes that match beef characteristics.