Abstract
Consumer sensory analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of three marbling categories [LOW, Intermediate (MED), and HIGH] and 2 postmortem aging categories (21 d and 42 d) on the palatability of lamb loin chops as determined by U.S. consumers and to determine the relationship between marbling, flank streaking, intramuscular fat percentage (IMF), and palatability traits. Marbling and aging did not interact to affect any of the scores for palatability attributes, their acceptances, or the frequency of their overall eating quality classifications (P 0.05). Aging also influenced (P < 0.05) all traits, as consumers scored 21 d samples greater for all palatability traits than their 42 d counterparts. A greater (P < 0.05) percentage of consumers categorized 42 d samples as ‘unsatisfactory’ and fewer as ‘better than everyday’ or ‘premium quality’ than 21 d samples. A larger proportion of consumers categorized HIGH samples as ‘premium quality’ than MED or LOW and fewer called HIGH ‘good everyday quality’ compared to MED (P < 0.05). Flank streaking, marbling score, and IMF were all influenced (P < 0.01) by marbling category in a linear fashion. Increasing marbling score, more so than flank streaking, was positively linked to increasing eating quality scores. Also, tenderness, juiciness and flavor liking are major drivers for consumer sensory scores for overall liking, with flavor liking having the strongest relationship to overall liking of lamb. Overall, consumers preferred HIGH marbling over LOW and MED marbling loin chops, but had difficulty distinguishing between LOW and MED. Furthermore, extending postmortem aging of lamb loin from 21 to 42 d reduced scores for eating quality traits.
Highlights
IntroductionWhile several studies in beef have shown a distinct link between the palatability traits of tenderness, juiciness and flavor and overall liking, some identify tenderness as the most important factor in regards to beef palatability (Miller et al, 1995, 2001; Savell et al, 1987)
Numerous factors influence the overall palatability of meat
Tenderness, juiciness and flavor liking are major drivers for consumer sensory scores for overall liking, with flavor liking having the biggest impact on overall liking of lamb
Summary
While several studies in beef have shown a distinct link between the palatability traits of tenderness, juiciness and flavor and overall liking, some identify tenderness as the most important factor in regards to beef palatability (Miller et al, 1995, 2001; Savell et al, 1987). Other studies have shown that flavor plays an equal role, if not more important, especially when tenderness is acceptable (Killinger et al, 2004; Neely et al, 1998; O’Quinn et al, 2012; Sitz et al, 2005). Hunt et al (2014) declared all 3 traits played major roles in overall liking. These same traits play a major role in lamb palatability as well. It has been shown that consumer preference and frequency of consumption/exposure to
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