Consumer acceptability of beef from two sexes supplemented with essential oil mix

Abstract

Essential oils are natural extracts from plants which can be included in cattle diets as an alternative to additives, such as ionophores, to improve the shelf life of meat. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensory acceptability of meat from 57 crossbred (1/2 Angus–1/2 Nellore) animals of different sexes [heifers n = 30, and young bulls n = 27], finished in feedlot with isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets, which differed in the level of supplementation (0.0, 3.5 or 7.0 g/animal/day) with a commercial mix of essential oils (Mixoil®) from seven plants: oregano, garlic, lemon, rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus and sweet orange. The Longissimus thoracis muscle, aged for 24 h, was evaluated by 120 consumers who scored tenderness acceptability, flavour acceptability and overall acceptability using a hedonic 9-point scale. The inclusion of essential oils affected tenderness acceptability and flavour acceptability (P ≤ 0.01), with a tendency (P < 0.10) for overall acceptability. Meat from heifers was more appreciated by consumers than that from young bulls in all attributes (P ≤ 0.001), however, different groups of consumers had different preferences. The inclusion of a mix of essential oils in beef diets was well accepted by consumers, and could improve the acceptability of meat from young bulls, when is added at a concentration of 3.5 g/animal/day during the last 4 months of fattening.

Influencing factors of consumer willingness to buy cattle meat: An analysis of survey data from three Brazilian cities

“…Brisola and Castro (2005) evaluating the preferences of beef consumers from Brasilia regarding purchase and product purchased, noticed that the consumer decision-making process is determined from the level of information pertinent to the product. Regarding of beef cattle category preferred, meat from heifers (33%) followed by steers (20%) was preferred when compared with that from bulls (3%) and cows (2%) ( Table 2), as observed by Eiras et al (2017) and Guerrero et al (2018). However, in the spontaneous survey for the majority of the interviewees (42%) the animal category has little importance at the time of buying the meat.…”

“…The ageing is one of the most commonly used methods to improve the quality of beef (Obuz, Akkaya, Gök, & Dikeman, 2014). During the ageing process, many biochemical processes occur, which are responsible for quality enhancement, mainly tenderness (Eiras et al, 2017) and flavor development (Guerrero et al, 2018). Thus, the last part of the research would like to know about two important aspects in the production system and commercialization of the meat: traceability and ageing of the meat.…”

“…Consumers are affected by many external and internal impulses that can modulate their cognitive, emotional and automatic actions (Eiras et al, 2017;Guerrero et al, 2018;Vital et al, 2018). The role of psychological influences on people's behavior has been analyzed and described in the literature, especially in relation to the selection and purchase of different products and services (Font-i-Furnols & Guerrero, 2014).…”

Acceptability by sensory and visual analyses of meat from Nellore heifers fed with natural additives and finished in feedlots

“…Studies evaluating the sensory acceptability to the consumer of meat from cattle on a diet supplemented with essential oils are recent, 3, 9, 11 which necessitates further studies in this field because the use of natural compounds instead of synthetic ones is preferred by consumers.…”

How the perception of quality for beef evaluated by the buyer at the time of purchase: Study in three Brazilian cities of different sizes – Curitiba, Campo Mourão and Palotina

“…In this way, the consumer has to observe at the moment of purchase the possible quality indicators to make the judgment and decide for the purchase. However, the consumer's lack of knowledge about the different quality attributes of beef (such as odor, flavor, tenderness, and overall acceptability), and how they vary within the same cuts (Eiras et al, 2017;Guerrero et al, 2018;Mottin et al, 2019;Prado et al, 2015a;Vital et al, 2018) present difficulties at the purchase time.…”