Blade Tenderization Effects on Cooking and Palatability Characteristics of Steaks from Bullock and Cow Carcasses

Abstract

Steaks (n = 240) from bullock and cow carcasses were studied to determine effects of blade tenderization on cooking and palatability characteristics. After two control (0×) steaks were removed, strip loins, inside rounds, outside rounds and top sirloin butts (all boneless) were blade-tenderized; additional steaks were removed after one (1×) and two (2×) passes through a blade tenderizer. Evaluations included cooking time, cooking loss, visual degree of doneness, Warner-Bratzler shear force and sensory panel evaluation for tenderness, amount of organoleptically detectable connective tissue, flavor, juiciness and overall palatability. Blade tenderization of bullock muscles resulted in steaks which required less time to cook, had decreased amounts of organoleptically detectable connective tissue and had increased tenderness, flavor and overall palatability ratings. Blade tenderization of cow muscles had little or no effect on cooking characteristics, tenderness, flavor, or overall palatability of muscles from the round but increased the tenderness, decreased the shear force value and amount of organoleptically detectable connective tissue, and increased the overall palatability of the longissimus dorsi muscle. Blade tenderization, though it will usually improve tenderness, will not improve the product enough to make beef of unsatisfactory quality comparable to that from high quality beef.