National Beef Tenderness Survey–2015: Assessment of Warner-Bratzler Shear Force and Palatability Ratings from Retail and Foodservice Establishments in the United States

Abstract

Beef retail steaks from establishments across eleven US cities and beef foodservice steaks from establishments in six US cities were evaluated using Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and consumer sensory panels. The average post-fabrication aging time of steaks at retail establishments was 25.9 d with a range of 6 to 102 d, and those from foodservice establishments averaged 31.5 d with a range of 3 to 91 d. The retail steak with the lowest WBSF value (P < 0.05) was the boneless top loin, compared to the top round which had the numerical highest (P < 0.05) WBSF value. Top loin and ribeye steaks had the lowest (P < 0.05) WBSF values, whereas the top sirloin represented the highest (P < 0.05) WBSF for the foodservice sector. The top blade retail steak received among the highest consumer ratings (P < 0.05), whereas the top round and bottom round steak received among the lowest (P < 0.05) consumer ratings for overall liking, tenderness liking, tenderness level, flavor liking, and juiciness liking. For the foodservice sector, the ribeye and top loin steaks were rated higher (P < 0.05) than top sirloin steaks across all consumer rating categories. Additional improvements in decreasing the variability of tenderness across retail and foodservice steaks, and an additional emphasis in improving the tenderness of top round and bottom round steaks are necessary to increase consumer acceptability.