Abstract
Paired USDA Choice top sirloin butts (n = 60) were divided equally across 3 trials: 1) blade tenderized (BT) versus non-blade tenderized (NBT), 2) refrigerated versus frozen aging/storage, and 3) 14-d versus 35-d refrigerated aging. Steaks from subprimals were evaluated using Warner-Bratzler Shear (WBS) force testing and consumer sensory evaluation. Consumers found BT steaks to be more tender and palatable compared to NBT steaks (P < 0.05), even though WBS values did not differ. Steaks from refrigerated versus frozen and 14- versus 35-d age treatments did not differ (P > 0.05) in consumer sensory ratings or WBS values. When compared to refrigerated, frozen storage of product did not affect consumer sensory ratings. Lack of differences between 14- and 35-d aging treatments indicated that the top sirloin butt did not require extended-aging periods to increase tenderness. Blade tenderization remains important for the top sirloin; however, purveyors may have options in postmortem aging and frozen storage of product without sacrificing quality.
Highlights
The beef top sirloin steak is an important foodservice cut due to its demand by cost-concerned consumers
It was expected that blade tenderization would result in improved Warner Bratzler Shear (WBS) force values, but it was not expected that consumer sensory panelists would be able to differentiate between treatments
Today’s inherently tender beef has been a benefit to the industry, and because of this, traditional practices of postmortem aging, blade tenderization, and freezing needed to be revisited to ensure that their benefits are still worthwhile
Summary
The beef top sirloin steak is an important foodservice cut due to its demand by cost-concerned consumers. In the 1998 NBTS, average Warner Bratzler Shear (WBS) force values improved for the top sirloin, yet these were still the greatest values for cuts from the rib and loin (Brooks et al, 2000). This trend continued into the 2010 NBTS (Guelker et al, 2013), where top sirloins only ranked numerically above samples from the top round and bottom round in sensory retail tenderness evaluations. Top sirloins maintained the greatest percentage of steaks ranking “intermediate” and “tough” in the food service category when steaks were stratified by WBS force tenderness. Guelker et al (2013) reported in the 2010 NBTS that the WBS force values were numerically similar to those in the 2006 survey, and the industry could be experiencing a “possible plateau of beef tenderness.” Martinez et al (2017) refuted this theory in the 2015/2016 NBTS, where the mean WBS force value of the top sirloin decreased from the 2010 NBTS
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