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Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Meat".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 11273

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Dr. Andrea Garmyn

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
2. Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Interests: meat science; meat quality; eating quality; palatability; consumers; sensory evaluation; sensory analysis of meat; meat processing; tenderness; flavor; beef; lamb
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Several antemortem factors, including diet/nutrition, age, genetics, and other environmental factors, can influence meat quality. From the time muscle is converted to meat, several postmortem factors, such as aging, packaging and retail display conditions, enhancement, cooking methods, and many others, can subsequently alter the quality of meat. This Special Issue of Foods will be open to studies investigating any ante- and postmortem factors affecting meat quality.

As a follow up to a previous Special Issue, “Consumer Preferences and Acceptance of Meat Products”, we welcome submissions investigating consumer preferences and attitudes towards meat quality, covering multiple sensory aspects, particularly eating quality and color. At the point of purchase, consumers often assess meat quality using extrinsic cues such as color, marbling, leanness, brand or labeling claims, and price to determine which meat product(s) to buy. However, consumer satisfaction and their willingness to pay is ultimately derived from current and past eating experiences relating to tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of cooked meat.

What drives these consumer preferences for meat products and how do these preferences influence consumer attitudes and satisfaction? You are cordially invited to submit review articles and original research papers related to “Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes”.

Dr. Andrea Garmyn
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

eating quality
consumer satisfaction
meat tenderness
meat flavor
meat color
sensory evaluation
sensory preference
willingness to pay
branded meat

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 253 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identifying Premium-Quality Beef in the United States—A Comparison of Beef Palatability from Grain-Finished Young and Mature Beef Cattle with Varying Marbling Scores

by Taylor B. McKinzie, Andrea J. Garmyn, Conner C. McKinzie, Mohammad Koohmaraie, Jerrad F. Legako, Dale R. Woerner and Mark F. Miller

Foods 2025, 14(4), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14040676 - 17 Feb 2025

Viewed by 460

Abstract

The study objective was to compare the palatability of beef strip loin steaks from young and mature grain-finished cattle across a range of marbling scores. Grain-finished beef carcasses were selected from two maturity groups: old maturity (O; >30 months of age) and young maturity (Y; <30 months of age). Within maturity groups, carcasses were selected to represent five marbling degrees—slightly abundant or greater (SLAB), moderate (MD), modest (MT), small (SM), and slight (SL)—resulting in ten treatment groups. Longissimus dorsi samples were removed on day 2 postmortem and cut into 2.5 cm thick steaks for slice shear force measurement, consumer palatability analysis, and proximate analysis. Tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking and intensity, overall liking, acceptability, and willingness to pay were all affected (p < 0.01) by treatment group. Palatability ratings generally decreased as marbling score decreased, but adjacent marbling scores often produced similar eating quality. Maturity had the most apparent impact on tenderness, as Y vs. O maturity samples scored greater (p < 0.05) for tenderness within four of the marbling scores (SLAB, MD, MT, and SL). Maturity had limited to no impact on juiciness, flavor intensity, and flavor liking. SLAB-Y and MD-Y were more liked overall compared to their O counterparts, but no other maturity differences were noted for overall liking within marbling scores. Grain-finished mature cull cows generated a similar or slightly reduced eating experience to young beef, but greater marbling is required to offset tenderness differences in mature beef. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes)

18 pages, 2986 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Muscle Characteristics Comparison Analysis Reveal Differences in the Meat Quality and Nutritional Components of Three Shanghai Local Pig Breeds

by Weilong Tu, Hongyang Wang, Yingying Zhang, Wei Jiang, Chuan He, Ji Huang, Lan Bai, Yuduan Diao, Jieke Zhou, Yongsong Tan and Xiao Wu

Foods 2025, 14(4), 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14040569 - 8 Feb 2025

Viewed by 683

Abstract

To study the differences in meat quality and nutritional components between the local Shanghai pig breeds Meishan pig (MS), Shawutou pig (SWT), Fengjing pig (FJ), and the commercial Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) crossbred pigs, and to provide data support for the selection and breeding of superior pig breeds, this study selected 30 piglets each of three local pig breeds and DLY with similar birth ages and weights around 25 kg, fed them the same daily ration with uniform nutritional components, and slaughtered ten of them at around 100 kg weight for evaluation of differences in meat quality indicators (primarily intramuscular fat content, tenderness value, texture, etc.) and amino acid content among the varieties. The results indicated significant differences among the four pig breeds in intramuscular fat content, with MS having the highest content and significant differences in tenderness value compared to the other three breeds (p < 0.05). In terms of texture indicators, MS and SWT differed significantly from FJ and DLY in terms of hardness and fracturability indicators (p < 0.05), with certain differences existing among the four breeds in other indicators. In amino acid content, the differences in total amino acid content among the three Shanghai local pig breeds were not significant (p > 0.05), but all were significantly higher than DLY. Further analysis revealed significant differences in amino acid content between Shanghai local pig breeds and DLY, with Shanghai local pigs showing markedly higher levels of serine, proline, isoleucine, leucine, and histidine compared to DLY (p < 0.05). Regarding nucleotides, the cytidine monophosphate (CMP) indicator of MS differed significantly from the other three breeds (p < 0.05), SWT’s uridine monophosphate (UMP) indicator differed significantly from FJ and DLY, and FJ and DLY’s inosine monophosphate (IMP) indicator was significantly higher than MS and SWT (p < 0.05), while SWT’s adenosine monophosphate (AMP) indicator was significantly higher than the other three breeds (p < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that the meat quality and nutritional composition of Shanghai local pigs are significantly superior to DLY, with MS exhibiting significantly better meat quality and nutrition compared to SWT and FJ among the three local pig breeds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes)

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13 pages, 502 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quality Variation of Pork Bellies by Cutting Manner and Quality Grade

by Pil-Nam Seong, Jeong-Ah Lee, Dong-Heon Song, Hyun-Wook Kim, Dong-Gun Kim, Samooel Jung and Van-Ba Hoa

Foods 2024, 13(19), 3129; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193129 - 30 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1013

Abstract

In the meat industry, the quality grading system is commonly applied to classify carcasses based on quality and value. Presently, to facilitate consumer convenience, pork bellies are prepared into slices and retailed in supermarkets and butchers. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of quality grade (QG) and retail cutting manner on the quality properties of pork bellies. Thirty-two bellies with different QGs: QG1⁺, 1, 2, and off-grade (n = 8 each) randomly collected from a commercial slaughterhouse were used. Each belly was cut into 3 portions: A (5–10th rib, cranial edge), B (11–15th rib), and C (without rib, caudal edge) according to the commonly used retail cutting manner. Samples were subjected to chemical composition, quality traits, and aroma analysis. Fat content was highest in QG1⁺ and lowest in off-grade and distributed at a higher level in portions A and B than in portion C in all QGs (p < 0.05). Off-grade was associated with higher shear force and chewiness values and lower levels of palmitic and stearic acids, regardless of the cutting portion. The bellies used in this study exhibited variations in chemical composition and quality properties not only among the QGs but also across the cutting portions within each QG. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes)

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13 pages, 1235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Australian and United States Consumer Acceptance of Beef Brisket Cooked Using the Low and Slow Barbeque Method

by Jarrod Lees, Nicholas Hardcastle, Justin Johnston, Rohen Wong, Holly Cuthbertson, Garth Tarr, Andrea Garmyn, Markus Miller, Rod Polkinghorne and Peter McGilchrist

Foods 2024, 13(19), 3049; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193049 - 25 Sep 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1307

Abstract

Meat Standards Australia (MSA) sensory protocols have been effectively utilized in beef for international consumers employing several cooking methods. Our objective was to compare the consumer response of Australian and American consumers to paired beef brisket samples utilizing a newly developed low and slow cooking method. Briskets were collected from Australian carcasses with diverse eating quality. Half of the briskets (n = 24) were retained in Australia and their pair was exported to Texas for consumer sensory testing. Naïve consumers (Australia; n = 240) and familiar consumers (USA; n = 240) evaluated paired barbequed briskets for tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking from 0 to 100 using a visual analogue scale, and a weighted composite meat quality score was later calculated. Australian consumers scored briskets lower for tenderness (−4.84 ± 1.70 points) and juiciness (−4.44 ± 1.55 points) and higher for flavor liking (3.48 ± 1.58 points); however, there was no difference between the countries for overall liking (p = 0.75) and combined meat quality score (p = 0.88). Differences between Australian and US consumers’ evaluations indicate that there is an impact of cultural background, potentially driven by Australia’s naivety to the low and slow barbeque cooking method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes)

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10 pages, 240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Acerola Cherry and Rosemary Extracts Improve Color and Delay Lipid Oxidation in Previously Frozen Beef

by Jessie B. Van Buren, Brooklyn Epperson, Sierra Jepsen, Mikayla Heimbuch, Kayleen Oliver, James Nasados, Phillip D. Bass and Michael J. Colle

Foods 2024, 13(10), 1476; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13101476 - 10 May 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1465

Abstract

Extending the shelf life of exported beef could increase international demand and producer profits. The objective was to evaluate the effects of topically applying combinations of acerola cherry powder and rosemary extract on the shelf life of frozen–thawed bone-in beef short rib and chuck roll steaks. Chuck rolls (IMPS 116A; N = 9) and bone-in short ribs (IMPS 123A; N = 18) were aged (7 d; 0 °C), frozen (30 d; −20 °C), and thawed (60–72 h; 0 °C). Steaks measuring 1.02 cm thick were treated and subjected to a 4 d retail display. Steaks were left untreated (control) or sprayed topically with acerola cherry powder (0.05%; A), rosemary extract (0.10%; R), or a combination (M1 = 0.05% A + 0.1% R; M2 = 0.1% A + 0.1% R; M3 = 0.05% A + 0.2% R; M4 = 0.1% A + 0.2% R). Chuck roll M2- and M4-treated steaks were redder than the control steaks on days 3 and 4 (p = 0.008), and antioxidant-treated steaks had less lipid oxidation on day 4 than the control steaks (p = 0.021). Bone marrow samples treated with R, M3, and M4 were redder than the control on days 1–3 (p = 0.014), and bone marrow treated with M3 was subjectively redder compared to the control on days 0 and 1 (p = 0.033). Topical antioxidants improve the redness and delay the oxidation of frozen–thawed beef. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes)

12 pages, 495 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Beef Hot Carcass Weight on Sensory Characteristics of Strip Loin, Eye of Round, and Denver Cut Steaks

by Christina E. Bakker, Samantha R. Egolf, Lydia M. O’Sullivan, Ryan B. Cox, Heather R. Rode-Atkins, Amanda D. Blair, Keith R. Underwood and J. Kyle Grubbs

Foods 2024, 13(6), 961; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060961 - 21 Mar 2024

Viewed by 1257

Abstract

The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of beef hot carcass weight (HCW) on consumer sensory attributes. Beef carcasses (n = 116) were selected based on the USDA quality grade and HCW. Lightweight (LW; 296–341 kg), middleweight (MW; 386–432 kg), or heavyweight (HW; 466–524 kg) carcasses with USDA Choice (LC) or USDA Select (SEL) quality grades were used in this study. Carcasses were tracked through fabrication and the semitendinosus, chuck roll, and strip loin were collected and fabricated into eye of round, Denver cut, and strip loin steaks, respectively, for consumer sensory evaluation. USDA Select MW Denver cut steaks had increased overall liking and texture liking scores and were more tender and juicier than the SEL LW steaks (p ≤ 0.02). USDA Select MW strip loin steaks had increased overall and flavor liking scores and were more tender than the SEL LW steaks (p ≤ 0.02). USDA Choice MW eye of round steaks had increased overall, flavor, and texture liking scores and were juicier than the LW eye of round steaks (p ≤ 0.04). The steaks evaluated in this study were differentially impacted by HCW and little to no clear pattern of effects could be determined across cut or quality grade. Additional research is needed to determine the most acceptable HCW from a consumer perspective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes)

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16 pages, 2262 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Machine Learning Approach Investigating Consumers’ Familiarity with and Involvement in the Just Noticeable Color Difference and Cured Color Characterization Scale

by Guillermo Ripoll, Begoña Panea and María Ángeles Latorre

Foods 2023, 12(24), 4426; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12244426 - 10 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1506

Abstract

The aim of this study was to elucidate the relations between the visual color perception and the instrumental color of dry-cured ham, with a specific focus on determining the Just Noticeable Color Difference (JNCD). Additionally, we studied the influence of consumer involvement and familiarity on color-related associations and JNCD. Slices of ham were examined to determine their instrumental color and photos were taken. Consumers were surveyed about color scoring and matching of the pictures; they were also asked about their involvement in food, familiarity with cured ham, and sociodemographic characteristics. Consumers were clustered according to their level of involvement and the JNCD was calculated for the clusters. An interpretable machine learning algorithm was used to relate the visual appraisal to the instrumental color. A JNCD of

Δ E_{a b}^{*}

= 6.2 was established, although it was lower for younger people.

Δ E_{a b}^{*}

was also influenced by the involvement of consumers. The machine-learning algorithm results were better than those obtained via multiple linear regressions when consumers’ psychographic characteristics were included. The most important color variables of the algorithm were L* and

h_{a b}

. The findings of this research underscore the impact of consumers’ involvement and familiarity with dry-cured ham on their perception of color. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes)

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13 pages, 807 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantifying the Effect of Grilling and Roasting on the Eating Quality of Lamb Leg Muscles

by Hussein Al-Moadhen, Jarrod C. Lees, Liselotte Pannier and Peter McGilchrist

Foods 2023, 12(19), 3609; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12193609 - 28 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1499

Abstract

Lamb eating quality was measured using untrained consumer sensory panels to determine the difference in intrinsic eating quality scores of grilled and roasted leg cut muscles. The Knuckle, Outside flat, and Topside from both legs of 65 mixed-sex lambs from diverse genetic backgrounds were prepared using alternative grill and roast cook methods. Each sample was eaten by 10 consumers and scored for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall liking. All cuts scored higher (p < 0.001) when grilled compared with when roasted for all traits except for Topside tenderness. Grilled Knuckle scored higher than roast Knuckle by 13.6%, 23.9%, 14.4% and 15.8% for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall liking, respectively. The grilled Outside flat scored higher than roast Outside flat by 14.1%, 27.1%, 10.9%, and 14.3% for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall liking, respectively. Finally, grilled Topside scored higher than roast Topside by 21.3%, 7.4%, and 6.6% for juiciness, flavor, and overall liking, respectively. Carcass traits for intramuscular fat and shear force had a significant (p < 0.001) effect on all eating quality traits for both grill and roast cuts. Girth rib fat had a significant effect (p = 0.01) on tenderness and juiciness (p = 0.03) for Outside flat and Topside but had no effect (p > 0.05) on Knuckle for both grill and roast. This study identified that specific cooking methods can improve sensory traits for individual cuts and suggests that a cut-by-cook method eating quality model for sheepmeat can therefore increase consumer satisfaction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes)

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Review

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15 pages, 1255 KiB

Open AccessReview

Effect of Age, Deboning Time of Carcass, and Different Cooking Conditions on the Woody Breast Myopathies in Chicken: A Meta-Analysis

by Aftab Siddique, Micah T. Black, Bet W. Alvarado, Laura Garner, Tung-Shi Huang, Ashish Gupta, Alan E. Wilson, Jason T. Sawyer and Amit Morey

Foods 2024, 13(16), 2632; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13162632 - 22 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1021

Abstract

This meta-analysis review undertakes a comprehensive examination of various approaches for identifying myopathic fillets and meticulously evaluates the effects of bird age, deboning time, and different cooking and storage conditions on woody breast (WB) myopathic conditions in broiler deboned fillets. The data, meticulously collected from 20 articles based on predefined inclusion criteria sourced from various databases and online resources, reveal significant insights. For instance, the analysis uncovers that deboning time significantly affects Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear (MORS), Blunt Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear (BMORS), and descriptive analysis values (p < 0.001). Instrumentation techniques, such as compression force and shear force, along with different cooking conditions, strongly impact BMORS shear force values (R² = 86.80%), with significance levels ranging from 0.01 to 0.001. Deboning time also substantially impacts MORS shear force values (R = 64.03%). In contrast, the effects of deboning time, bird age, and cooking conditions on descriptive sensory evaluation are minimal when compared to woody breast fillets (age of birds: R² = 26.53%; cooking conditions: R² = 32.57%; deboning time: R² = 10.06%). The overall effect of bird age on chicken breast meat quality shows significant differences for the evaluated parameters (Hedges’ g [95% CI] = −0.72 [0.17, 1.26], I² = 93%, p < 0.01). The sous vide cooking method significantly affects shear force energies and sensory descriptive evaluation for woody breast fillets (Hedges’ g [95% CI] = 5.30 [−50.30, 83.40], I² = 98%, p < 0.01). These findings, with their significant implications, provide valuable insights for optimizing processing conditions in the poultry industry to reduce woody breast occurrences and enhance meat quality, instilling confidence in the robustness of the research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat Quality, Sensory and Consumer Preferences and Attitudes)

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