USA millennial and non-millennial beef consumers perception of beef, pork, and chicken

Abstract

Millennials have been shown to have distinctly different behaviors; however, factors affecting their liking of beef, pork and chicken has not been fully elucidated. As millennials are current and future animal protein consumers, the question of if they have different drivers of liking for beef, pork, and chicken has not been answered. Top loin steaks cooked to 58.3 or 80 °C; and pork loin chops and chicken breasts cooked to 62.7 or 80 °C were cooked on a flat grill. Beef bottom round roasts cooked to 58.3 or 80°; and pork inside ham roasts and chicken thighs were cooked to 62.7 or 80 °C in a Crock-pot®. A descriptive flavor and texture attribute panel and a consumer central location test in four cities were used to evaluated flavor and texture attributes. Consumers were either millennials or non-millennials, and light or heavy beef-eaters. Meat descriptive flavor and texture attributes differed by cooking method, cut, and internal temperature (P < 0.05). Consumers preferred grilled meat more than meat cooked in the Crock-pot® (P > 0.05). Consumers rated grill flavor, juiciness, and tenderness (P ≥ 0.05) higher in grilled meat. Light beef-eaters, those who ate beef 2 to 4 times per month, rated overall, flavor, and species flavor lower (P < 0.05) than heavy beef-eaters, but consumers liked beef regardless of generational segment or their consumption of beef; however, millennials rated overall, overall flavor, and tenderness liking slightly lower than non-millennials. These results indicate that millennials have similar drivers of liking as non-millennials across beef, pork, and chicken protein sources.