The objective of this study was to determine if consumer satisfaction improves by blade tenderizing today’s more inherently tender beef. Paired USDA Choice top sirloin butts (n = 20 total pieces) were collected from 10 carcasses representative of the typical carcass in today’s fed beef market. Paired top sirloin butts were subjected to Warner-Bratzler Shear (WBS) force testing as a measure of objective tenderness. Consumer sensory evaluation was used to determine if consumers could discern differences in tenderness, flavor, juiciness, and overall likability between steaks from blade tenderized (BT) subprimals and steaks from non-blade tenderized (NBT) subprimals.
Top sirloins from the left side of the carcass were blade tenderized once before portioning into steaks, whereas top sirloins from the right side of the carcass received no treatment and served as the control. Consumers found BT steaks to have higher (P 0.05), nor did WBS force values (P > 0.05). These data indicate that blade tenderization is an important process to improve consumer tenderness, flavor, and overall likability of beef top sirloins
