Effects of marbling on physical and sensory characteristics of ribeye steaks from four different cattle breeds

Abstract

Objective: Marbling or intramuscular fat (IMF) has been widely reported to directly impact the sensory acceptance of meat. This study was carried out to determine the physical and sensory characteristics of ribeye, Longissimus dorsi (LD) (Longissimus dorsi; LD) steaks obtained from four different cattle breeds namely Wagyu, Angus, Brahman, and Malaysian local beef, the Kedah-Kelantan (KK). Methods: The degree of marbling was determined by using an established combined camera-image analysis technique while instrumental texture determination was carried out by using Warner-Bratzler Shear Force Analysis. Sensory evaluation of the beef steaks was performed following a Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) incorporating 10 trained consumer panellists. Results: Wagyu was found to possess the highest (p < 0.05) percentage of IMF at 33.90% and the lowest shear force (raw = 5.61 N/mm2; cooked = 14.72 N/mm 2) followed by Angus (20.87%), Brahman (12.17%%), and KK (p < 0.05,; 6.86%). The differences in sensory properties of the four steaks was evident, with Wagyu appearinged to be highly correlated with most sensory attributes measured namely sustained buttery, tooth-packing, chewiness, juiciness, tenderness, mouthfeel, oiliness, and overall acceptability. The Malaysian local beef, Kedah-Kelantan was found to be less acceptable (p < 0.05), although most of its sensory attributes were found similar (p > 0.05) in appearance, aroma, texture, juiciness, and flavour-related attributes to the cooked steak from Angus and Brahman. Conclusion: This present study demonstrated the role of intramuscular fat (IMF) in determining the quality and sensory acceptance of beef from different cattle breeds. Theise data have particularly provideds new information and further understanding on the physical and sensory quality of Malaysian local beef.

Exploring the Lipids Involved in the Formation of Characteristic Lactones in Japanese Black Cattle

“…Japanese Black cattle have a considerably higher marbling rate than Holstein cattle and are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) [ 5 ]. As the characteristic lipid metabolism of Japanese Black cattle has a significant influence on meat quality (tenderness, flavor, and juiciness) [ 6 , 7 ], there are several studies on genes which are crucial for the marbling trait [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. In addition, studies have attempted to analyze the aroma of Wagyu beef [ 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”

Southern African Large Frame Indigenous Veld Goat and Boer Goat Wether and Buck Tenderness and Colour of Six Muscles

“…It is speculated that the IMF value of >4% in the BF muscle of the BG wethers combined with higher levels of ageing (low MFL values) may have contributed to a numerically lower WBSF; a difference of 10 N. Despite variation in IMF% levels between sex groups in other muscles, including the BF, the mean IMF value across all muscles was probably too low to show any effect on tenderness. The intramuscular fat is not usually associated with shear force tenderness and [47] could find no effect of % IMF and WBSF for beef with IMF values between 6.8% and 20.9%. Only when % IMF levels reached 33.9%, the effect become significant.…”

Main regulatory factors of marbling level in beef cattle

“…In beef cattle, the IMF accumulation is considerably influenced by genetic backgrounds ( Shahrai et al., 2021 , Zhang et al., 2018 , Wang et al., 2009 , Pitchford et al., 2002 , Malau‐Aduli et al., 2000 ). In Table 1 , the longissimus muscle (LM) of Wagyu cattle contains the highest IMF content (31.8-37.8% from two publications of Irie et al.…”