Influence of breed on the sensory meat quality and consumer acceptability in extensively reared beef

Abstract Text: We evaluated the sensory characteristics of meat from different animal types, including cattle (Angus and Brangus) and buffalo raised on pasture, and collected information on socio-demographic determinants of consumer preference. Samples were roasted rib eye, sliced and served in a disordered and monadic manner to 188 untrained tasters. A nine-point hedonic scale was used to assess odor, color, tenderness, succulence and overall appearance. Analysis of variance was conducted using the GLM procedure, considering animal type and socio-demographic characteristics as fixed effects and using the LSMEANS procedure for multiple mean comparisons. Differences (p < 0.001) between animal types were observed only for tenderness, with Brangus (7.02) and buffalo (6.82) meat being superior to Angus (6.25). Regardless of the meat origin, age, income, smoking and place of purchase affected the perceived attributes (p < 0.05). People aged over 50 years gave higher mean scores for odor and color (p < 0.05), indicative of greater satisfaction and less demanding tastes when compared to other age categories. Most meat was purchased from supermarkets and butchers (82%). The majority (84%) of the panelists reported acquiring chilled rather than frozen meat, which may account for the high juiciness, flavor intensity, flavor and overall acceptability reported. Despite the variability in the intrinsic characteristics of the meat products, differentiation by the consumer is not easy to determine, with little impact of socio-demographic characteristics on organoleptic perception. The different types of animals did not affect the general visual appearance of the meat as perceived by the consumer. Meat from Brangus cattle and buffaloes raised on pasture was considered more tender by an untrained taste panel than that from Angus cattle raised under the same conditions.

Keywords: beef, quality, palatability