J. Anim. Sci. 2005. 83:2618-2623
© 2005 American Society of Animal Science
Flavor characterization of top-blade, top-sirloin, and tenderloin steaks as affected by pH, maturity, and marbling1,2,3
E. J. Yancey
,4,
M. E. Dikeman,5,
K. A. Hachmeister,
E. Chambers, IV
and
G. A. Milliken*
Department of Animal Sciences and Industry,
and
Department of Human Nutrition, and
and
* Department of Statistics, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506
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Abstract
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Little information is available in the literature on the interrelationships and interactions among pH, aging time, marbling, and maturity on the flavor profile of some beef muscles commonly used for steaks. To investigate these effects on beef flavor, the infraspinatus (top-blade steak) from the chuck clod, the gluteus medius (top-sirloin steak) from the sirloin, and the psoas major (tenderloin steak) from the loin were obtained from A- (n = 80) and B-maturity (n = 60) carcasses with either Slight (n = 68) or Small (n = 72) marbling, and with either normal (
5.7; n = 80) or high (
6.0; n = 60) pH. Muscles were selected from two commercial processing plants at six different sampling times to evaluate factors that affect the flavor profile of cooked beef steaks. Muscles were vacuum-aged for 7, 14, 21, or 35 d, and a highly trained, flavor-profile sensory panel evaluated charbroiled steaks from these muscles. Numerous statistical interactions (P < 0.05) were detected for flavor attributes of the different muscles. In general, muscles from high pH (dark cutting) carcasses had less typical beef flavor identity and less brown-roasted flavor than those from carcasses with normal pH. Aging longer than 21 d generally decreased beef flavor identity. Top-blade steaks generally had less intense beef flavor identity and more intense bloody/ serumy flavor than did top-sirloin and tenderloin steaks. Tenderloin and top-sirloin steaks of normal pH generally had the most brown-roasted flavor, especially when aged 21 d or less. Small degree of marbling generally resulted in a more rancid flavor compared with Slight marbling, but marbling had no other appreciable effects on the flavor profile. Aging steaks for 35 d increased (P < 0.05) the metallic flavor compared with aging for only 7 or 14 d. Top-sirloin steaks had a more intense (P < 0.05) sour flavor than did top-blade steaks, and steaks from carcasses with a high pH were more rancid (P < 0.05) than steaks from carcasses with normal pH. Vacuum-aging top-blade, top-sirloin, and tenderloin steaks to 21 or 35 d postmortem generally increased metallic and rancid flavors and increased sour flavor in top-sirloin steaks that were high in pH.
Key Words: Aging • Beef • Flavor • pH • Sensory Analysis
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Introduction
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Consumers primarily purchase beef because of its flavor and texture. Morgan et al. (1991)
stated that beef flavor was a very important factor in determining overall palatability. Any flavors present that are not normally found in fresh, wholesome beef are deemed unfavorable, and consumers also regard any beefeating experience in which uncharacteristic or undesirable flavors are detected as an unfavorable eating experience.
The gluteus medius (GM) and psoas major (PSM) muscles are commonly served in restaurants, and the infraspinatus (INF) has recently increased in popularity. McKeith et al. (1985) found the PSM and INF muscles were as desirable in flavor as the LM and were more desirable than the GM. In contrast, Shackelford et al. (1995) found that the PSM and INF had less beef flavor intensity than did the LM and GM, and Rhee et al. (2004) reported that the PSM had less beef flavor intensity than did the GM and INF and less off-flavor than the GM. Additionally, Jeremiah et al. (2003c) reported that INF roasts had more beef flavor intensity, but less flavor desirability, than either PSM or GM roasts. Nonetheless, researchers have not extensively evaluated the flavor attributes of these muscles, and little, if any, research has been conducted to determine the effects of pH, marbling, maturity, and aging time on the flavor attributes of INF, GM, and PSM steaks. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effects of pH, marbling, maturity, and aging time on the flavor profile of INF, GM, and PSM beef steaks.
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Materials and Methods
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Subprimal Selection
Subprimal cuts, fabricated in accordance with National Association of Meat Processors guidelines (NAMP, 1997), were obtained from two commercial beef slaughter and processing facilities at six different sampling times. The INF, GM, and PSM were excised from the beef chuck shoulder clod (NAMP #114), top-sirloin butt (NAMP #184), and full tenderloin (NAMP #189), respectively. Carcasses were selected on the bloom chain on the basis of pH, maturity, and marbling, to fit into two groups: 1) carcasses of A-maturity skeletal maturity (n = 80), and 2) carcasses of B-maturity skeletal maturity (n = 60). These groups were further selected to be of two pH subgroups: 1) those having a pH of 5.7 (normal; n = 80), and 2) those having a pH of 6.0 (dark cutters; n = 60). Longissimus muscle pH was measured at 24 to 48 h post-mortem by using a Sentron Argus pH meter with a Lance FET pH probe (Sentron, Northbridge, MA). Carcasses also were selected to be of two marbling groups: 1) those having USDA marbling scores of Slight00 to Slight50 (n = 68), and 2) those having USDA marbling scores from Small00 to Modest00 (n = 72; Table 1). There was limited incidence of B-maturity, high pH carcasses, so we were unable to obtain an equal number of these carcasses.
Subprimals were fabricated at 7 d post-mortem, and the individual muscles of interest were removed from each subprimal. The INF was cut into steaks perpendicular to the muscle fiber orientation. The GM was cut into steaks anterior to posterior, and the PSM was cut into steak pairs numbered from posterior to anterior (1+ 8, 2 + 7, 3 + 6, and 4 + 5), and the pairs randomized to aging treatments. Steaks (2.54-cm thick) were cut from the specified muscles, assigned randomly to an aging treatment (7, 14, 21, or 35 d), and vacuum-packaged. Steaks assigned to the 7-d aging treatment were immediately frozen at –40°C until just before evaluations by a trained flavor-profile sensory panel, whereas the remaining steaks were aged at 2 to 4°C until either 14, 21, or 35 d postmortem. All steaks were subsequently frozen after their assigned aging time and stored at –40°C until sensory panel evaluation.
Flavor Profile Sensory Panel Evaluations
The plan procedure of SAS (SAS Inst., Inc., Cary, NC) was used to determine the treatments represented each day for the panel evaluations and decrease any possible order bias during the evaluations. Steaks were thawed at 4°C for 24 h before evaluations by the trained flavor profile sensory panel. Steaks were cooked on a Wells electric broiler (Model B-44; Wells Manufacturing, Verdi, NV) according to the procedures outlined by Campbell et al. (2001). Steaks were turned every 4 min until steaks reached an internal temperature of 70°C. Internal temperature of the steaks was monitored by a type K hypodermic probe (Cole-Parmer Instrument Co., Niles, IL) attached to a Digi-Sense 12-channel, scanning thermocouple thermometer (Cole-Parmer Instrument Co.).
The flavor profile sensory panel had >2,000 h of sensory experience, completed >120 h of flavor and texture profile training, and had conducted numerous evaluations of meat products. Panelists used a 15-point scale to quantify flavor (15 = most intense to 0 = none). Reference standards for each attribute were determined by the panelists during orientation and each evaluation period. Panelists used 80% lean ground chuck cooked to 71°C as the standard for both beef flavor identity and the brown-roasted flavor. This standard was rated as 10.5 for beef-flavor identity and 10.0 for brown-roasted flavor. The standard for bloody/serumy and metallic attributes was USDA Select LM steaks char-broiled to an internal temperature of 60°C. This standard was rated 5.5 for the bloody/serumy attribute and 4.0 for the metallic attribute. Dole brand canned pineapple juice also was used for the metallic attribute (rated 6.0). Crisco vegetable oil that had been heated in a microwave oven for 3 min and cooled was used as the reference for the rancid attribute (rated 7.0). Two citric-acid solutions (0.015% and 0.025%; vol/vol) were used for the sour attribute and were rated 1.5 and 2.5, respectively.
After cooking, steaks were sliced perpendicular to the surface into 2.54-cm x 1.27-cm x 1.27-cm cubes. Steaks were evaluated for the aforementioned attributes and scored to the nearest 0.5 on the 15-point scale. Panelists were presented with not more than 15 samples per session to minimize sensory fatigue and adaptation. The duration of each session was 1.5 h, and panelists were allowed a 5-min break after evaluating one-half of the samples. Evaluations were conducted in an atmospherically controlled room, with the temperature and humidity set at 21 ± 1°C and 55 ± 5%, respectively; airflow into the room was filtered through charcoal filters to remove any extraneous volatiles.
Statistical Analyses
The mixed models procedure of SAS was used for the ANOVA of all sensory data. Flavor panel data were analyzed as a split-plot design, with carcass as the whole-plot experimental unit and steak as the subplot experimental unit. Responses from the flavor profile panelists were averaged across each treatment combination for each attribute by using the means procedure of SAS. These mean values were then used in the AN-OVA procedures. The data were analyzed as a 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 4 factorial treatment structure. Maturity, marbling, pH, and muscle served as whole-plot fixed effects, and aging time served as the subplot fixed effect. Panel date, panelist, and marbling x maturity x pH interactions nested within the whole plot were random effects. The Satterthwaite adjustment was used to calculate correct df. Least squares means were computed for all main and two-, three-, four-, and five-way interactive effects and were separated using F-protected (P < 0.05) t-tests (PDIFF option of SAS).
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Results and Discussion
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Regardless of muscle or skeletal maturity, steaks from carcasses with normal pH had greater (P < 0.05) beef flavor identity than carcasses with high pH for each muscle (Table 2). Viljoen et al. (2002) indicated that the LM steaks from normal pH carcasses had a meatier flavor than those from dark-cutting carcasses. In our study, there was a muscle x pH x maturity interaction for beef flavor identity involving the PSM and GM muscles (Table 2). Except for normal pH, B-maturity carcasses, PSM steaks had greater beef flavor identity than did GM steaks, and these two steaks had greater beef flavor identity than did INF steaks, especially when the INF was from carcasses with high pH. In contrast, Rhee et al. (2004) reported that the PSM had less beef flavor intensity than did the GM and INF and less off-flavor than the GM. Carmack et al. (1995) reported that the GM and PSM ranked higher for beef flavor intensity than INF, whereas the INF ranked higher than the GM for juiciness. Jeremiah et al. (2003c) found that INF roasts had more beef flavor intensity, but less flavor desirability than either PSM or GM roasts. McKeith et al. (1985) demonstrated that the PSM and INF muscles were as desirable in beef flavor identity as the LM and more desirable than the GM. Shackelford et al. (1995), however, found that the PSM and INF steaks had less beef flavor intensity than did LM and GM steaks.
Jeremiah et al. (2003b) stated that greater concentrations of insoluble hydroxyproline detracted from the desirability of flavor, and INF had twice as much insoluble hydroxyproline as GM (Jeremiah et al., 2003a). This might explain why INF steaks in our study scored lower for beef flavor identity than the GM and PSM steaks.
When considering all three muscles from carcasses with high pH in our study, those from B-maturity carcasses had more perceptible (P < 0.05) beef flavor identity than those from A-maturity carcasses. In contrast, Viljoen et al. (2002) stated that women found normal pH beef to have a meatier flavor than high pH beef. In our study, the PSM steaks from carcasses with normal pH had more intense (P < 0.05) beef flavor identity than nearly all other treatment combinations (Table 3), except for GM steaks from carcasses with normal pH. Muscles from carcasses with high pH generally had the least beef flavor identity, especially those from the INF. In the GM, aging had no effect on beef flavor identity, regardless of carcass pH. Yet, in the INF from high pH carcasses, beef flavor identity decreased with increased aging time, but did not differ with increased aging time for INF with normal pH (Table 3). For the PSM muscle with normal pH, beef flavor identity was less after 35 d of aging than for shorter aging periods.
There was a muscle x aging time x pH x maturity interaction for the brown-roasted flavor attribute (P < 0.05; Table 4). The effects of aging time on brown-roasted flavor were somewhat inconsistent, but aging the INF and PSM with high pH for 35 d decreased (P < 0.05) the brown-roasted flavor. In general, the brown-roasted flavor attribute was more intense for steaks from carcasses with normal pH than in those from carcasses with high pH (Table 4) In a dry aging study, however, Campbell et al. (2001) found that 14- and 21-d dry-aged LM steaks had slightly greater beef and brown-roasted flavors than those aged for only 7 d. Diles et al. (1994) found that steaks vacuum-aged to 14 d had greater flavor intensity than those aged to 7 d. Campo et al. (1999) reported that overall flavor intensity and acid flavor intensity increased throughout a 21-d aging time.
Except for the PSM from high pH and A-maturity carcasses aged 35 d, PSM steaks from carcasses with high pH had a more intense (P < 0.05) brown-roasted flavor than the INF muscle from carcasses with either high or low pH.
The effect of marbling on brown-roasted flavor was somewhat inconsistent (Table 5), but normal pH steaks with Small marbling had greater (P < 0.05) brown-roasted flavor than steaks with Slight marbling; however, brown-roasted flavor was less in steaks from high pH carcasses, regardless of marbling score. Rancid flavor was more intense (P < 0.05) for steaks from carcasses with high pH than for steaks from carcasses with normal pH (Table 5); the combination of Small marbling and high pH resulted in the most (P < 0.05) rancid flavor. The PUFA and phospholipids in higher-fat muscles would be expected to oxidize over time, and autoxidation of these lipids could have contributed to the increased rancid flavor detected by the sensory panelists.
Steaks from the INF muscle had a more (P < 0.05) intense bloody/serumy flavor than the PSM and GM muscles, whereas PSM steaks had a more (P < 0.05) intense bloody/serumy flavor than did the GM steaks (Table 6). Steaks with Small marbling had greater (P < 0.05) bloody/serumy flavor than those with Slight marbling in the GM, but marbling score did not alter bloody/serumy flavor in the PSM or INF muscles. Steaks from high pH, B-maturity carcasses had a more intense (P < 0.05) bloody/serumy flavor than steaks from high pH, A-maturity carcasses or normal pH carcasses, regardless of maturity (Table 7). Bloody/serumy flavor intensity was greater (P < 0.05) for B-maturity at d 7 and A-maturity at d 14 than for those steaks aged either 21 or 35 d. The least (P < 0.05) bloody/ serumy flavor was for A-maturity at d 35 (Table 8). Maturity had an inconsistent effect on the intensity of the sour-flavor attribute (aging time x maturity; Table 8), but aging muscles 21 and 35 d resulted in a more (P < 0.05) intense sour flavor than aging only 7 or 14 d.
Aging muscles for 35 d resulted in increased (P < 0.05) metallic flavor compared with aging only 7 or 14 d, but the differences were minimal and likely of little practical significance (Table 9). Related research by Warren and Kastner (1992) found that vacuum-aging increased the metallic flavor of LM steaks. In our study, rancid flavor was greater (P < 0.05) for muscles from high pH carcasses than for muscles from normal pH carcasses at all aging times (Table 9). Aging for 21 or 35 d resulted in a more sour flavor than aging only 7 d. The sour attribute might be expected to increase over time because of the growth of lactic acid bacteria within the vacuum package. However, the magnitudes of these differences likely were too small to be of practical importance. The GM muscle had more intense metallic flavor (P < 0.05) than the INF and PSM muscles, but the small numerical differences likely have little practical importance (Table 10).
Steaks from the GM muscle had a more intense (P < 0.05) sour flavor than steaks from the INF (Table 11). Steaks from carcasses with high pH had increased (P < 0.05) sour flavor for the PSM, but less intense sour flavor for the GM; however, there were no differences in sour flavor due to pH in the INF.
Rancid flavor was more intense (P < 0.05) for steaks from carcasses with high pH than for steaks from carcasses with normal pH (Table 11
). Rancid flavor was more (P < 0.05) intense for INF steaks than for GM and PSM steaks (muscle x maturity; Table 12). This finding might be expected because previous work by McKeith et al. (1985) showed that the INF muscle had a large percentage of fat, which would be more susceptible to rancid flavor development.
Our results suggest that steaks from carcasses with high pH should have less beef identity and brown-roasted flavors than those from carcasses with normal pH. Aging steaks to 21 or 35 d postmortem would be expected to increase metallic and rancid flavors. Top-sirloin steaks would be expected to have more intense sour flavor than top-blade or tenderloin steaks, and the sour flavor would be expected to increase as aging time increases. Rancid flavor should increase with aging time, and rancid flavor would be expected to occur more often in steaks from high pH carcasses and/or those with higher marbling.
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Footnotes
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1 Contribution No. 05-6-J from the Kansas Agric. Exp. Stn., Manhattan. 
2 This project was funded by beef and veal producers and importers through their $1 per animal checkoff and was produced for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Appreciation is expressed to Cryovac Sealed Air Corporation for providing packaging materials for this project.
3 The authors acknowledge the assistance of J. W. Stephens, J. R. Davis, S. L. Stroda, S. Lowak, A. King, C. Starkey, and A. Jenkins in conducting this research.
4 Present address: Tyson Foods, Inc., 2701 N. 13th St., Rogers, AR 72756.
5 Correspondence: Weber Hall (phone: 785-532-1225; fax: 785-532-7059; e-mail: mdikeman{at}oznet.ksu.edu).
Received for publication September 15, 2004.
Accepted for publication July 5, 2005.
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Abstract
Introduction
