Beef customer satisfaction: factors affecting consumer evaluations of clod, top round, and top sirloin steaks

Abstract

Moderate to heavy eaters of beef were chosen to participate in an in-home consumer evaluation of three beef cuts (clod, top round, and top sirloin steaks) and several combinations of USDA quality grade and calcium chloride marinade. Consumer sensory traits (Overall Like, Tenderness, Juiciness, Flavor Like, and Flavor Amount) were evaluated on a ten-point scale. Consumer cooking methods and degree of doneness also were used in analyses. One steak from each cut was used for Warner-Bratzler shear force determination. Significant (P < 0.05) interactions involving cooking method and(or) degree of doneness were found in all consumer evaluated traits for each cut. Clod and top round steaks were evaluated by consumers in Chicago and Philadelphia. Clod steaks from four USDA grade categories (Top Choice, Low Choice, High Select, and Low Select) were evaluated by consumers in Chicago and Philadelphia. USDA grade did not affect any consumer evaluation traits or shear force values of clod steak. Two USDA grades (Top Choice and High Select) and calcium chloride marinade treatment were evaluated for top round steaks. During carcass selection, a top round from one side of each carcass was injected with 200 mM calcium chloride at 5% of the cut weight. Each consumer received a steak from corresponding cuts of the same carcass, one with marinade and one without marinade. Top Choice steaks rated higher for Overall Like than High Select (P < 0.05). Shear force values were not affected by either USDA grade or marinade. Flavor Like was the sensory trait most closely related to customer satisfaction of clod and top round steaks. Top sirloin steaks were evaluated by a different population of consumers in Chicago. One half of the consumers received cooking instructions and the other half did not. All top sirloins graded High Select. Cuts from one side of each carcass were injected with calcium chloride marinade. As main effects, neither instructions nor marinade impacted consumer ratings. Shear force values revealed no marinade effects. Flavor Like was the sensory trait most closely related to customer satisfaction of top sirloin steaks. These data suggest that cooking method and degree of doneness are primary drivers of beef customer satisfaction ratings and may be more important than product effects.