La revue Viandes et produits carnés

Beef carcass and meat quality for the consumer

While the original purpose of carcass grading or description systems may have been to sort carcasses into groups of like appearance or composition they are often assumed to also convey meaningful statements in regard to palatability levels as assessed by consumers. In both commercial grading and many scientific studies the underlying assumption is that the m.longissimus lumborum (LD) is a suitable reference point for describing carcasses in total and also their component cuts or muscles. This study is based on prediction of consumer appreciations for 15 cuts from 8 carcass types with additional reference to cooking method effects. Individual muscle results are displayed as a ratio to the LD in the base carcass. The analysis conducted demonstrates that it is not possible to provide meaningful estimates of consumer satisfaction for a range of cuts from a simple LD (striploin) relationship.