Abstract
Tenderness, juiciness, and flavor have been associated with consumer acceptance of beef, lamb, and pork. Drivers of consumer liking are interrelated across these species, but there are differences in consumer preferences. Animal age, animal diet, and subsequent marbling impact consumer liking across species. For beef, consumer research prior to the 1990s showed that tenderness was the main driver of liking. Consumer tenderness and juiciness liking are highly correlated. More recent research has shown that as overall tenderness improved and tenderness variation decreased, flavor has become a more important driver of beef consumer liking. Flavor is affected by consumer preparation methods, familiarity with different flavor presentations, and animal production systems. Animal diet impacts consumer perception of beef tenderness and flavor, especially when comparing forage-fed versus grain-fed beef. Flavor preferences vary across countries more so than preferences for beef based on consumer tenderness preferences and are most likely influenced by the consumption of locally produced beef and the flavor-derived type of beef traditionally consumed. Drivers of pork consumer liking have been shown to be affected by pH, color, water holding capacity, animal diet, and the presence of boar taint compounds. While tenderness and juiciness continue to be drivers of consumer liking for pork, flavor, as impacted by animal diet and the presence of boar taint compounds, continues to be a driver for consumer liking. For lamb, the flavor, as affected by diet, and animal age continue to be the main drivers of consumer liking. Lamb consumers vary across countries based on the level of consumption and preferences for flavor based on cultural effects and production practices.
Highlights
Meat scientists have understood since the early 1900s that, in assessing and understanding meat eating quality, the end goal is to meet consumer demand and acceptance for meat products
While it is intuitive that trained human assessment of juiciness, tenderness, and flavor would most likely be related to consumer liking or disliking, it was not until Francis and others [5] that data were reported to understand consumer acceptance or liking of beef differing in USDA Beef Quality grades [6]
The objective of this paper is to review research that evaluates consumer eating quality acceptance of whole muscle beef, lamb, and pork meat products, and to understand the current drivers of consumer liking
Summary
Meat scientists have understood since the early 1900s that, in assessing and understanding meat eating quality, the end goal is to meet consumer demand and acceptance for meat products. As methods evolved within the sensory community, scientifically accepted methodologies and guidelines for conducting and reporting consumer sensory data were developed [9,10,11] Disciplines such as psychology, marketing and consumer insights, neural psychology, and sensory science used consumer sensory tools, but it was not until the 1980s that consumer sensory evaluation was used to understand meat product acceptance [12]. Extensive research has been conducted to examine pre- and post-harvest factors that impact consumer liking and meat eating quality. These papers will not be discussed, as it is not the intent of this paper.
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