Quality and Palatability of Beef Steaks from Subprimals Subjected to Various Frozen/Refrigerated Storage Parameters

Abstract

Beef steaks from ribeye rolls and top sirloin butts were evaluated to determine how refrigerated and/or frozen storage impacted purge, color, cooking yields, tenderness, and consumer acceptability. Treatments included: frozen subprimals/frozen steaks; frozen subprimals/refrigerated steaks; refrigerated subprimals/frozen steaks; refrigerated subprimals/refrigerated steaks. For subprimals, treatment had minimal impact on purge, however, purge varied (P < 0.0001) among steak treatments with refrigerated/refrigerated being the lowest. For ribeye steaks, cook yield was highest (P < 0.05) for refrigerated/refrigerated. Refrigerated/refrigerated ribeye steaks had among the lowest WBS force values, and no differences (P > 0.05) in consumer ratings were observed for ribeye steaks. Frozen/frozen top sirloin steaks had the lowest (P < 0.05) consumer ratings for overall liking, flavor, and juiciness. Storage conditions played a greater role for quality and consumer acceptability for top sirloin steaks than ribeye steaks. Overall, freezing subprimals and steaks posed the greatest challenge in quality and palatability.