Beef Tenderness Findings Shared
by Kindra Gordon for Angus Productions Inc.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 2, 2012) — Results from the 2010-11 National Beef Tenderness Survey were shared with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Beef Production Research Committee at the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tenn.
For the study, 8 to 12 supermarket stores from 12 major metropolitan areas and one foodservice facility in five of the selected cities were sampled. Several different beef cuts in varying methods (e.g., boneless, bone-in) were sampled by both consumer sensory panels and Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) evaluations.
The 2010-2011 survey concluded most steaks were considered tender, and the WBSF values were similar to the results found five years earlier in the 2005-2006 National Beef Tenderness Survey. Overall, the less-tender cuts were still found to be from the round.
Approximately 64% of retail cuts were labeled with a store brand — an increase from 2005-2006, when just 47% of retail cuts had a store or packer brand.
However, researchers did identify that aging times at the retail level were slightly less today (20.5 days) than average aging times in the study five years ago (22.6 days), and the aging range (i.e., number of days) was significantly wider in the current study. Average aging times at the foodservice level were 28.1 days presently, compared to 30.1 days five years ago.
To address tenderness of beef products and enhance consumer satisfaction, the researchers suggest the need for improved aging practices in retail and foodservice and increased consumer education on the proper preparation and cooking of beef, especially from the less-tender round cuts.
The executive summary of the 2010-2011 National Beef Tenderness Survey can be found at http://www.beefresearch.org/CMDocs/BeefResearch/ Tenderness_survey_web2010.pdf.
Additionally, the committee discussed the declining federal and state dollars being invested in beef cattle research, development and knowledge transfer. New funding models and an emphasis on producer involvement to help address this issue were put forth and will continue to be discussed in the future.
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