Determination of the effect of brand and product identification on consumer palatability ratings of ground beef patties

Citation: Wilfong, A. K., McKillip, K. V., Gonzalez, J. M., Houser, T. A., Unruh, J. A., Boyle, E. A. E., & O'Quinn, T. G. (2016). Determination of the effect of brand and product identification on consumer palatability ratings of ground beef patties. Journal of Animal Science, 94(11), 4943-4958. doi:10.2527/jas2016-0894The objective of this study was to determine the effect of brand and product identification on consumer palatability ratings of ground beef patties. Six treatments were used in the study: 90/10 Certified Angus Beef (CAB) ground sirloin, 90/10 ground beef, 80/20 CAB ground chuck, 80/20 ground chuck, 80/20 ground beef, and 73/27 CAB ground beef. Ground beef was processed into 151.2-g patties using a patty former with 2 consecutively formed patties assigned to blind consumer testing and the following 2 assigned to informed testing. Following cooking to 74 degrees C, patties were cut into quarters and served to consumers. Consumers (n = 112) evaluated samples in 2 rounds for tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, texture liking, and overall liking. Each trait was also rated as either acceptable or unacceptable. In the first round of testing, samples were blind evaluated, with no information about the treatments provided to consumers, but in the second round, product type and brand were disclosed prior to sample evaluation. Additionally, texture profile and shear force analyses were performed on patties from each treatment. Few differences were observed for palatability traits during blind consumer testing; however, during informed testing, 90/10 CAB ground sirloin was rated greatest (P < 0.05) for all palatability traits other than juiciness. Also, 90/10 CAB ground sirloin had increased (P < 0.05; (consumer informed score -consumer blind score)/consumer blind score) ratings for tenderness (17.4%), juiciness (36.5%), flavor liking (23.3%), texture liking (18.2%), and overall liking (24.7%) due to brand disclosure. Increased (P < 0.05) ratings were found for CAB products for multiple traits due to treatment disclosure, whereas the only non-CAB-branded product that received increased (P < 0.05) ratings during informed testing was 90/10 ground beef for tenderness and juiciness. Texture results indicated that decreased fat level increased hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness. These results indicate that when sampling ground beef without brand and product information, few consumers find differences in eating quality among ground beef treatments; however, when consumers are aware of the brand, fat level, and subprimal blend prior to sampling, these factors have a large impact on consumer eating satisfaction

The effect of branding on consumer palatability ratings of beef strip loin steaks

Citation: Wilfong, A. K., McKillip, K. V., Gonzalez, J. M., Houser, T. A., Unruh, J. A., Boyle, E. A. E., & O'Quinn, T. G. (2016). The effect of branding on consumer palatability ratings of beef strip loin steaks. Journal of Animal Science, 94(11), 4930-4942. doi:10.2527/jas2016-0893The objective of this study was to determine the influence of knowing the brand or USDA grade on consumer palatability ratings of beef strip loin steaks. Strip loins were selected to represent 5 USDA grades and brands, USDA Select, Choice, Prime, Certified Angus Beef (CAB; upper 2/3 Choice), and Select, from carcasses of cattle classified as Angus on the basis of phenotype. After 21 d of aging, 2.5-cmthick steaks were cut, consecutively cut steaks were paired for consumer evaluation. Consumer panelists (n = 112) evaluated samples for tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking. Additionally, consumers rated each palatability trait as either acceptable or unacceptable. Samples were fed in 2 rounds on the same day: blind and informed testing. In the first round, blind testing, consumers were served 1 sample from each treatment, with no product information provided. In the second round, consumers were informed of the brand or quality grade prior to sampling. During blind testing, CAB rated similar (P > 0.05) to Choice for all palatability traits; however, CAB rated greater P 0.05) for all traits when tested blind, but Angus Select was rated greater (P 0.05) when brand was disclosed. Brand knowledge increased (P 0.05) in the percentage of Choice and Select samples rated as acceptable for all palatability traits. These data indicate that Prime, CAB, and Angus Select steaks receive an increase in consumer palatability perception, or "brand lift," which does not occur for Choice and Select beef

Repeatability and Accuracy of the Pressed Juice Percentage Method at Sorting Steaks into Juiciness Categories

The objective of this study was to evaluate the repeatability of the Pressed Juice Percentage (PJP) as well as to determine the accuracy of previously determined PJP thresholds at sorting beef strip loin steaks into categories based on the probability of being rated juicy by sensory panelists. Beef strip loin steaks representing 3 USDA quality grades (Prime, Low Choice, and Low Select) and Low Select strip loin steaks enhanced to 108% of the raw weight with a water, salt, and alkaline phosphate solution were cooked to three degrees of doneness [DOD; Rare (60°C), Medium (71°C), Very Well-Done (82°C)] to maximize variation in juiciness. Paired steaks were evaluated for PJP, Slice Shear Force (SSF), and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF). Additionally, steaks representing Prime, Low Choice, and Low Select that were non-enhanced or enhanced with the same enhancement solution cooked to three DOD [Rare (60°C), Medium (71°C), Very Well-Done (82°C)] from a previously conducted sensory study were used to evaluate the ability of PJP to sort steaks into juiciness categories. Results indicated PJP had a high repeatability coefficient of 0.70, indicating only a small portion (30%) of the variation observed was due to sample measurement differences between paired samples. The repeatability of SSF and WBSF were 0.68 and 0.85, respectively. The evaluated PJP threshold values accurately segregated strip loin steaks by the probability of a sample being rated as juicy (mean juiciness rating of > 50) by consumers. The actual percentage of juicy samples was determined to be 41.67, 72.31, 89.33, and 98.08% for the predicted 90% categories, respectively. Results of this study indicate the PJP juiciness measure is both repeatable and accurate in sorting beef strip loin steaks based on the likelihood of a steak being classified as juicy by consumers

Sensory Evaluation of Enhanced Beef Strip Loin Steaks Cooked to 3 Degrees of Doneness

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of marbling level in combination with enhancement on beef palatability when strip loin steaks were cooked to 3 degrees of doneness. Consumer and trained sensory panelists evaluated strip steak palatability traits of 3 USDA quality grades: Prime, Low Choice, and Low Select. Additional strip loins from each grade were enhanced to 108% with a water, salt, and alkaline phosphate solution. Steaks from each treatment were cooked to 3 degrees of doneness (DOD; Rare: 60°C, Medium: 71°C, or Very Well-Done: 82°C). Consumer panelists rated all enhanced treatments similar ( > 0.05) for each palatability trait. Enhanced steaks had greater ( 0.05) for initial and sustained juiciness, myofibrillar tenderness, and overall tenderness and greater ( 0.05) among all enhanced treatments, and lower ( < 0.05) than non-enhanced Low Choice and Low Select treatments. Results from this study indicate marbling level has no impact on the palatability traits of enhanced strip loin steaks. Therefore, enhancement of higher valued, high marbled cuts does not provide additional palatability benefits over low marbled cuts, as enhancement does not provide an additive effect with marbling on beef eating quality

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Probing Enthalpy–Entropy Compensation and the Interfacial Mobility Model

In recent years, interfacial mobility has gained popularity as a model with which to rationalize both affinity in ligand binding and the often observed phenomenon of enthalpy-entropy compensation. While protein contraction and reduced mobility, as demonstrated by computational and NMR techniques respectively, have been correlated to entropies of binding for a variety of systems, to our knowledge, Raman difference spectroscopy has never been included in these analyses. Here, non-resonance Raman difference spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry, and x-ray crystallography were utilized to correlate protein contraction, as demonstrated by an increase in protein interior packing and decreased residual protein movement, with trends of enthalpy-entropy compensation. These results are in accord with the interfacial mobility model, and lend additional credence to this view of protein activity

Theology, Politics and Society: the Missing Link. Studying Religion in the Mamluk Period

The chapter focuses on a few problematic topics which have so far received little attention in contemporary scholarship on religion in the Mamluk period. In particular it tries to shed light on what the author describes as a missing link between theological production and its social and political significance, between theologians and society at large, between ideas about God and their relevance to people\u2019s lives. The article argues that exploring the link between society and theology may be a rewarding research enterprise. An attention to this link is generally missing in scholarship both on the intellectual and the socio-religious history of the Mamluk period. The paper identifies the reasons for this state of affairs and provides a sample of materials that proves that we do not lack the resources for pursuing research in this direction. The paper advocates an interdisciplinary approach where the efforts of experts in Islamic theology and historians interested in religion and society ought to merge