Japanese consumer categorisation of beef into quality grades, based on Meat Standards Australia methodology

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the sensory categorisation of beef by Japanese consumers, based on Meat Standards Australia methodology. Various cuts of beef, with a wide range of quality (from Australian and Japanese cattle) and three cooking methods (grill, yakiniku, shabu shabu), were evaluated by 1620 Japanese consumers in Tokyo and Osaka. Consumers rated each sample for four sensory attributes (tenderness, juiciness, flavor and overall satisfaction), then selected one of four grades (unsatisfactory/2-star, good everyday/3-star, better than everyday/4-star, and premium quality/5-star), based on the quality of the beef within each cooking method. Meat quality scores, denoted as MQ4 scores (weighted combination of the four sensory attributes) were calculated from the Japanese consumer test results, to describe the Japanese consumer rating of beef. The distribution of the Japanese consumer MQ4 scores showed a clear distinction between grades, with the majority of scores being included within the boundaries of each grade. The MQ4 score allocated approximately 64% of the samples to their correct consumer grades. The MQ4 score showed potential to be used as a tool in developing and monitoring a consumer-focused grading system that is able to predict Japanese consumer satisfaction of individual beef cuts prepared by different cooking methods.