Abstract. Consumer responses were examined in an incomplete factorial design where Australian consumers evaluated 216 beef samples derived from 18 cattle killed in Australia and Korean consumers evaluated 216 samples from the same 18 cattle, plus 216 similar samples from 18 Korean cattle. Samples of the Mm. triceps brachii, longissimus dorsi and semimembranosus were cooked using grill and Korean barbeque methods. Each sample was sensory tested by 10 consumers, who scored it for tenderness, juiciness, like flavour, and overall liking. Consumers then graded each sample as either unsatisfactory (2 star), good every day (3 star), better than every day (4 star), or premium (5 star) quality.For those samples assessed by both Australian and Korean consumers, the Korean consumers graded a higher proportion of samples 'unsatisfactory' and a lower proportion of samples 'premium' grade product than Australian consumers. Using a composite meat quality score (MQ4) to predict grade, a discriminant analysis showed that the Korean consumers had boundary cut-offs for the lower grades, which were~4-10 palatability units higher than the Australian consumers.Analysis of the residuals between actual and predicted palatability scores showed that the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading model produced relatively unbiased estimates within AE2 MQ4 units for the different consumer groups, muscle and carcass suspension treatments, with the exception of the M. semimembranosus samples. Implications of the results for both Korean and Australian beef markets through the use of an empirical grading model to predict palatability are discussed.

Abstract.A total of 36 steer carcasses (18 slaughtered in Australia and 18 slaughtered in Korea), where one side had been suspended by the hip (tenderstretch) and the other by the Achilles tendon were used to provide sensory and shear force samples from the Mm. triceps brachii, longissimus lumborum and semimembranosus. Sensory samples were cooked using grill (25 mm thick) and barbeque (BBQ, 4 mm thick) methods and served to 360 untrained Australian and 720 untrained Korean consumers. Australian consumers sensory tested grill and BBQ samples from Australian carcasses (216 samples), while Korean consumers sensory tested grill and BBQ samples from both Australian and Korean carcasses (a total of 432 samples). The three-way interaction between carcass suspension, cooking method and muscle was significant (P < 0.05) for tenderness, overall liking and a composite palatability score (MQ4), where the combination of BBQ cooking and hip suspension resulted in large increases in sensory scores for the M. semimembranosus. Variation in sensory scores and shear force are discussed in the context of possible interactions with cooking temperature. There was a significant (P < 0.05) first order interaction between consumer group and muscle for juiciness score. Consumer effects were significant (P < 0.05) for all sensory scores, being largest for juiciness (~8 sensory units), like flavour and overall liking (both~6 sensory units) and MQ4 (~5 sensory units) scores, with the smallest effect on tenderness (~2 sensory units).

We estimated heritability () and genetic and phenotypic correlations for carcass and meat quality traits of longissimus dorsi (LD) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles in 30-mo-old Hanwoo steers. Variance and covariance components were estimated using REML procedures under univariate and bivariate models. The mean carcass weight (CWT), eye muscle area (EMA), back fat thickness (BFT), and marbling score (MS) were 428.20 ± 46.30 kg, 87.38 ± 8.54 cm2, 13.00 ± 5.14 mm, and 5.21 ± 1.56, respectively. The mean CIE reflectance of meat lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) were 40.01 ± 2.73, 22.37 ± 2.18, and 10.35 ± 1.46, respectively, in LD muscles and 36.33 ± 2.44, 22.91 ± 2.43, and 10.25 ± 1.65, respectively, in SM muscles. The mean Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), intramuscular fat content (IMF), water-holding capacity (WHC), and protein and ash content in LD and SM muscles were 3.84 ± 0.96 and 6.52 ± 1.21 kg, 15.91 ± 4.39 and 5.10 ± 1.94%, 62.07 ± 3.38 and 71.61 ± 2.06%, 20.01 ± 1.39 and 21.34 ± 0.89%, and 0.80 ± 0.10 and 0.93 ± 0.07, respectively. The estimates of CWT, EMA, BFT, and MS were 0.51 ± 0.13, 0.45 ± 0.13, 0.29 ± 0.09, and 0.22 ± 0.08, respectively. The estimates were moderate for meat quality traits and were 0.37 ± 0.12, 0.40 ± 0.12, 0.33 ± 0.10, 0.33 ± 0.10, 0.30 ± 0.11, and 0.24 ± 0.09 for L*, WBSF, IMF, WHC, and protein and ash content, respectively, in LD muscle; estimates from SM muscle were comparatively low (0.08 ± 0.06 to 0.25 ± 0.09). Estimates of for a* and b* were also low (0.08 ± 0.06 to 0.13 ± 0.07). Carcass weight had a moderate, positive genetic correlation with EMA (0.60 ± 0.13) and a weak correlation with MS and BFT. The genetic correlations among the 3 colorimeter variants were strong and positive within and between muscles. Intramuscular fat content had moderate to strong and negative genetic correlations with WBSF (-0.49 ± 0.18), WHC (-0.99 ± 0.01), and protein (-0.93 ± 0.04) and ash content (-0.98 ± 0.06) in LD muscle, whereas the associations were less pronounced in SM muscle. In general, CWT and EMA had low genetic and phenotypic correlations with meat quality traits, which suggests that the traits are independent and have distinct genetic contributions in each muscle. Conversely, with few exceptions, meat quality traits had genetic and phenotypic correlations with MS and BFT. In conclusion, the estimated genetic parameters for carcass and meat quality traits could be used for genetic evaluation and breeding programs in Korean Hanwoo cattle populations.

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Significant SNPs associated with Warner-Bratzler (WB) shear force and sensory traits were confirmed for Hanwoo beef (Korean cattle). A Bonferroni-corrected genome-wide significant association (p<1.3×10−6) was detected with only one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on chromosome 5 for WB shear force. A slightly higher number of SNPs was significantly (p<0.001) associated with WB shear force than with other sensory traits. Further, 50, 25, 29, and 34 SNPs were significantly associated with WB shear force, tenderness, juiciness, and flavor likeness, respectively. The SNPs between p = 0.001 and p = 0.0001 thresholds explained 3% to 9% of the phenotypic variance, while the most significant SNPs accounted for 7% to 12% of the phenotypic variance. In conclusion, because WB shear force and sensory evaluation were moderately affected by a few loci and minimally affected by other loci, further studies are required by using a large sample size and high marker density.