Crossbred steers (n = 64) were grazed on warm- or cool-season grass-dominated pastures, without or with energy supplementation of wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS), and were finished on a corn-based diet with or without 35% WDGS. Finishing on corn increased desirable flavor notes and decreasedundesirable flavor notes in both L. dorsi and B. femoris steaks. In addition, grazing on warm-season grasses increased the prevalence of undesirable flavors but was often dissipated by the addition WDGS supplementation. Longer aging periods tended to increase the prevalence of undesirable flavors, especially in B. femoris steaks. It is recommended producers provide WDGS supplementation, especially when grazing on warm-season grasses, and finish on an all corn diet in order to create a favorable flavor palate

Calkins, Chris R.

Erickson, Galen E.

Miller, Rhonda K., Miller

Varnold, Kimberly A.

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnNebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department2014The Effects of Diet and Cooler Aging on SpecificFlavor Notes in BeefKimberly A. VarnoldUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnChris R. CalkinsUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln, ccalkins1@unl.eduRhonda K. Miller MillerTexas A&M UniversityGalen E. EricksonUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln, gerickson4@unl.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcrPart of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, andthe Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.Varnold, Kimberly A.; Calkins, Chris R.; Miller, Rhonda K. Miller; and Erickson, Galen E., "The Effects of Diet and Cooler Aging onSpecific Flavor Notes in Beef " (2014). Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports. 805.http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/805© The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved. 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  — Page 123 Table 1. Heifer dimensional measurements of strip loin from cattle MM, Mm, or mm genotype of the myostatin gene.MeasurementsNumber of Inactive Myostatin AllelesSEM P-valueMM Mm mmFat Thickness (in)LoinWeight (kg)Loin Length (in)Sirloin Face Width (in)Rib Face Width (in)Sirloin Tail Length (in)Rib Tail Length (in)0.55a 6.6215.81a9.977.46b2.951.18 0.32b 6.7715.80a 9.68 7.75b 3.08 1.25 0.19c 6.5914.74b 9.96 8.41a 1.86 1.170.0330.1880.1930.1160.1230.4000.046 < 0.001 0.77< 0 .001 0.13 < 0 .0010.060.39abcMeans with different superscripts within the same row are considered different P ≤ 0.05.1Myostatin: homozygous active (MM), heterozygous partially recessive (Mm), and homozygous recessive inactive (mm).Table 2. Heifer number, weight, and proportion of vein steaks from strip loins of cattle MM, Mm, or mm genotype of the myostatin gene.Steak TraitNumber of Inactive Myostatin AllelesSEM P-valueMM Mm mmNumber of Loins AnalyzedTotal SteaksNumber Vein SteaksNon-Vein SteaksAverage Steak Weight (g)% of Vein Steaks in LoinCombined Weight of Steaks (g)Total Weight of Vein Steaks (g)% Weight of Vein Steaks1912.63ab4.108.53b514.9132.47a6490.162123.6832.552013.05a3.709.35a497.7728.32b6513.001996.0030.732012.40b3.858.85b506.0931.17a6284.401888.8030.320.1770.1320.17911.2331.011157.35079.7891.0890.030.090.0020.550.010.520.120.31abcMeans with different superscripts within the same row are considered different P ≤ 0.05.1Myostatin: homozygous active (MM), heterozygous partially recessive (Mm), and homozygous recessive inactive (mm).The Effects of Diet and Cooler Aging on Specific Flavor Notes in Beefonly found after the meat had been aged in a retail display for seven days, showing that aging periods also may play a role in flavor development.  The objective of this study was to evaluate how beef flavor notes are af-fected in two different muscles from cattle grazing different forages post-weaning, with or without supplement, finished on either corn or 35% wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) diet, and aged for 7 or 28 days. ProcedureCrossbred steers (n = 64) were al-lowed to graze from April 17, 2012, until Oct. 10, 2012, (177 days) on warm-season grasses at the Barta Brothers Ranch in the Eastern Sand-hills of Nebraska or on cool-season pastures near Ithaca, Neb., without or with energy supplementation of WDGS (0.6% BW/ day). After the grazing period, cattle were finished on a corn-based diet with or without 35% WDGS for 119 days to an average live weight of 1,427 lb. Cattle were har-vested at Greater Omaha Packing, Co. in Omaha, Neb. Six carcasses from each treatment (n = 48) that graded USDA Choice or Select were identified and Lon-gissimus dorsi (L. dorsi) and Biceps femoris (B. femoris) muscles from each side of each carcass were collected and aged under vacuum for 7 and 28 days. Upon fabrication, one steak was cut from each subprimal, placed on a Styrofoam tray, wrapped with oxygen-permeable overwrap film, and placed under simulated retail display for seven days. At the end of retail dis-play, steaks were vacuumed packaged and frozen until further use in flavor lexicon taste panels at Texas A&M University. All lexicon panels were approved by the Institutional Review Board. An expert, trained descriptive attribute sensory panel with over 23 cumula-tive years of experience in evaluating beef flavor and aromas was used. The panel underwent ballot development, training, and validation sessions to assure consistent rating and identifi-cation of individual aroma and flavor attributes. During training and testing, steaks were cooked on a Hamilton Beach Health Smart® grill (model 31605A, Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex, Inc., Southern Pines, N.C.) to an internal temperature of 70°F. Aromas and flavor aromatics were evaluated using the Spectrum® Universal 16-point scale where 0 = none and 15 = ex-tremely intense. Traits evaluated were browned, bloody, fat, metal, liver, green hay, umami, overly sweet, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, sour aroma, barnyard, burnt, heated oil, chemical, apricot, asparagus, cumin, floral, beet, chocolate, green grass, musty, me-dicinal, petroleum, smoked/charred, smoked wood, spoiled, dairy, buttery, cooked milk, sour milk, refrigera-tor stale, warmed over, soapy, painty, fishy, and cardboardy. Browned, fat, umami, sweet, salty, chocolate, smoked wood, and buttery were con-sidered desirable flavors and the oth-ers were considered undesirable.Data were analyzed using the Mixed procedure in SAS (SAS Insti-tute, Inc., Cary, N.C.) with differences determined at P < 0.05. Whenever there was a three- or four-way interac-tion, the LSmeans were reanalyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure with the slicediff option in order to more accurately study differences. ResultsLexicon scores for L. dorsi steaks had two significant (P < 0.04) three-way interactions — grass type, fin-ishing diet, and aging period — for fat scores and supplementation, diet, and aging period for bloody scores. Kimberly A. VarnoldChris R. CalkinsRhonda K. MillerGalen E. Erickson1SummaryCrossbred steers (n = 64) were grazed on warm- or cool-season grass-dominated pastures, without or with energy supplementation of wet distill-ers grains with solubles (WDGS), and were finished on a corn-based diet with or without 35% WDGS. Finishing on corn increased desirable flavor notes and decreased undesirable flavor notes in both L. dorsi and B. femoris steaks. In addition, grazing on warm-season grasses increased the prevalence of un-desirable flavors but was often dissipated by the addition WDGS supplementa-tion. Longer aging periods tended to increase the prevalence of undesirable flavors, especially in B. femoris steaks. It is recommended producers provide WDGS supplementation, especially when grazing on warm-season grasses, and finish on an all corn diet in order to create a favorable flavor palate.IntroductionFlavor is an important attribute when describing beef desirability. Beef flavor is not made up of just one element but of  many different flavor notes combined. Specific flavor notes in beef can be changed by the diet fed to cattle and by the amount of time the meat is aged.Jenschke et al. (Journal of Animal Science, 2008, 86:949-959) found that when low levels of alfalfa are fed, the prevalence of a bloody flavor becomes stronger. Senaratne et al. (2010 Ne-braska Beef Cattle Report, pp. 101-103) showed a higher degree of liver and/or off-flavor in meat from cattle fed wet distillers grains with solubles as op-posed to corn. These differences were (Continued on next page)Page 124 — 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  © The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved.At seven days aging, the prevalence of fat flavor was weaker (P = 0.02) when cattle were grazed on cool-season grasses and finished on WDGS than when they were grazed on cool-season grasses and finished on corn or grazed on warm-season grasses and finished on WDGS (Figure 1). Conversely, when the meat was aged for 28 days, meat from cattle grazed on warm-season grasses had a stronger fat flavor when finished on corn instead of WDGS, with no differences within cool-season grass grazing. For bloody flavor, of seven-day aged L. dorsi steaks, not supplement-ing and finishing on WDGS caused the highest scores (P = 0.04) com-pared to all other supplementation and finishing diet combinations (Figure 2). Following the 28 day aging periods, there were no differences in bloody flavor scores between any supplementation and finishing diet combinations. It would appear that the longer aging allows flavor differ-ences caused by supplementation and finishing diet to dissipate. In addition, following the seven day aging period, beef from cattle finished on WDGS had low scores for fat flavor and high scores for bloody flavor. This suggests that desirable flavors are weaker at a shorter aging period while undesir-able flavor are more intense. After a longer aging period it would appear that these differences are reduced.Not supplementing while grazing on warm-season grasses caused the highest liver flavor scores in L. dorsi steaks (P = 0.03) compared to all other grass type and supplementation combinations (Figure 3). Grazing on warm-season grass and aging to 28 days also caused higher liver scores (Figure 4). Clearly, grass type is a key factor in the development of liver flavor , an undesirable flavor, in beef. Finishing on corn significantly increased (P = 0.04) the sweet flavor intensity and decreased (P = 0.002) warmed over flavor (Table 1). Thus, corn tended to promote desirable flavors while dissipating undesirable flavors. Liver flavor was not influenced by finishing diet (P = 0.56). 21.81.61.41.210.80.60.40.20Fat Flavor Scoresaba ababab ab Corn WDGS Corn WDGS Corn WDGS Corn WCGS Warm-Season Grass Cool-Season Grass Warm-Season Grass Cool-Season Grass 7 days 28 days abMeans within the same aging period with the different superscripts are significantly (P < 0.05) differentFigure 1. The effect of grass type, finishing diet, and aging period on the LS means of fat flavor scores when separated by aging period in L. dorsi steaks (P = 0.02).21.81.61.41.210.80.60.40.20Bloody Flavor Scores Corn WDGS Corn WDGS Corn WDGS Corn WCGS No  No Supplementation Supplementation Supplementation Supplementation 7 days 28 days abMeans within the same aging period with the different superscripts are significantly (P < 0.05) differentFigure 2.  The effect of supplementation, finishing diet, and aging period on the LS means of bloody flavor scores when separated by aging period in L. dorsi steaks (P = 0.04).bab baa aaabbb0.350.30.250.20.150.10.050Liver Flavor Scores No Supplementation No Supplementation Supplementation  Supplementation Warm-Season Grass Cool-Season GrassabMeans with different superscripts are significantly (P < 0.05) differentFigure 3.  The effect of grass type and supplementation on the LS means of liver flavor scores in L. dorsi steaks (P = 0.03).© The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved. 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  — Page 125 For B. femoris steaks, the least desirable flavor notes were associ-ated with warm-season grasses (liver, bloody, metallic, and sour), most of which were improved with supple-mentation. Aging increased painty, sour milk, and bitter flavors (Table 2). For this muscle, it appears that longer aging periods actually promote undesirable flavors, which is different from what was seen in L. dorsi steaks. Muscles from the round, such as the B. femoris, contain less marbling. The marbling in the L. dorsi steaks could be masking any off-flavors that are present, even after aging. Since there is less marbling in B. femoris, any undesirable flavors that are magnified due to aging would be even stronger because there is nothing there to hide them. These data suggest that beef flavor is best established with cool season grasses, feeding WDGS as an energy supplement during grazing, and fin-ishing on corn. Shorter aging periods appear to reduce off-flavor develop-ment.1Kimberly A. Varnold, graduate student; Chris R. Calkins, professor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Department of Animal Science, Lincoln, Neb; Rhonda K. Miller, professor, animal science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Tex; Galen E. Erickson, professor, UNL Department of Animal Science, Lincoln, Neb. 7 Days 28 Days 7 Days 28 Days Warm-Season Grass Cool-Season Grass0.30.250.20.150.10.050Liver Flavor Scoresb bbaabMeans with different superscripts are significantly (P < 0.05) differentFigure 4.  The effect of grass type and aging period on the LS means of liver flavor scores in L. dorsi steaks (P = 0.04).Table 1. The effect of finishing diet on the LS means for select beef lexicon scores for L. dorsi steaks.TraitFinishing DietCorn WDGS1 SEM P-valueBrownBloodyFatMetalLiverSweetSourSaltyBitterBurntSmoked WoodButterySour MilkWarmed OverPaintyFishy1.881.591.771.700.141.07a1.331.401.120.120.010.080.070.06b0.0040.011.761.631.661.730.170.94b1.391.361.110.090.010.090.030.24a0.0000.030.070.040.050.040.040.040.040.030.030.020.010.020.020.040.0030.010.200.430.100.590.560.040.250.370.990.520.980.910.28 0.0020.320.131WDGS = Wet distillers grains with solubles .abMeans within the same treatment and the same row with different superscripts are different (P < 0.05).Table 2.  The effect of grass type and aging period on LS means for select beef lexicon scores for B. femoris steaks TraitGrass Type Aging PeriodsSEM P-valueWarm-season Cool-season SEM P-value 7 Days 28 DaysBrownBloodyFatMetalLiverSweetSourSaltyBitterBurntSmoked WoodButterySour MilkWarmed OverPaintyFishy1.67b1.77a1.722.010.38a0.831.53a1.371.410.150.0080.050.090.540.020.051.83a1.62b1.721.910.17b0.901.37b1.411.410.200.0000.040.090.590.060.040.060.050.050.040.050.040.040.030.040.030.0040.010.030.060.020.020.040.021.000.09 0.00040.230.010.340.940.270.160.841.000.530.070.501.701.701.701.950.230.901.401.431.30b0.140.0080.040.05b0.510.01b0.031.801.681.741.980.320.831.501.351.52a0.220.0000.050.13a0.620.07a0.070.060.050.050.040.040.040.040.030.040.030.0040.010.030.060.020.020.190.800.550.570.160.230.090.10<0.00010.100.160.840.050.230.010.09abMeans within the same treatment and the same row with different superscripts are different (P < 0.05). 

The Effects of Diet and Cooler Aging on Specific Flavor
Notes in Beef

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department
2014
The Effects of Diet and Cooler Aging on Specific
Flavor Notes in Beef
Kimberly A. Varnold
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Chris R. Calkins
University of Nebraska–Lincoln, ccalkins1@unl.edu
Rhonda K. Miller Miller
Texas A&M University
Galen E. Erickson
University of Nebraska–Lincoln, gerickson4@unl.edu
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr
Part of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, and
the Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Varnold, Kimberly A.; Calkins, Chris R.; Miller, Rhonda K. Miller; and Erickson, Galen E., "The Effects of Diet and Cooler Aging on
Specific Flavor Notes in Beef " (2014). Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports. 805.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/805
© The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved. 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  — Page 123 
Table 1. Heifer dimensional measurements of strip loin from cattle MM, Mm, or mm genotype of the 
myostatin gene.
Measurements
Number of Inactive Myostatin Alleles
SEM P-valueMM Mm mm
Fat Thickness (in)
LoinWeight (kg)
Loin Length (in)
Sirloin Face Width (in)
Rib Face Width (in)
Sirloin Tail Length (in)
Rib Tail Length (in)
0.55a
 6.62
15.81a
9.97
7.46b
2.95
1.18
 0.32b
 6.77
15.80a
 9.68
 7.75b
 3.08
 1.25
 0.19c
 6.59
14.74b
 9.96
 8.41a
 1.86
 1.17
0.033
0.188
0.193
0.116
0.123
0.400
0.046
 < 0.001
 0.77
< 0 .001
 0.13
 < 0 .001
0.06
0.39
abcMeans with different superscripts within the same row are considered different P ≤ 0.05.
1Myostatin: homozygous active (MM), heterozygous partially recessive (Mm), and homozygous 
recessive inactive (mm).
Table 2. Heifer number, weight, and proportion of vein steaks from strip loins of cattle MM, Mm, 
or mm genotype of the myostatin gene.
Steak Trait
Number of Inactive Myostatin Alleles
SEM P-valueMM Mm mm
Number of Loins Analyzed
Total Steaks
Number Vein Steaks
Non-Vein Steaks
Average Steak Weight (g)
% of Vein Steaks in Loin
Combined Weight of Steaks (g)
Total Weight of Vein Steaks (g)
% Weight of Vein Steaks
19
12.63ab
4.10
8.53b
514.91
32.47a
6490.16
2123.68
32.55
20
13.05a
3.70
9.35a
497.77
28.32b
6513.00
1996.00
30.73
20
12.40b
3.85
8.85b
506.09
31.17a
6284.40
1888.80
30.32
0.177
0.132
0.179
11.233
1.011
157.350
79.789
1.089
0.03
0.09
0.002
0.55
0.01
0.52
0.12
0.31
abcMeans with different superscripts within the same row are considered different P ≤ 0.05.
1Myostatin: homozygous active (MM), heterozygous partially recessive (Mm), and homozygous 
recessive inactive (mm).
The Effects of Diet and Cooler Aging on Specific Flavor 
Notes in Beef
only found after the meat had been 
aged in a retail display for seven days, 
showing that aging periods also may 
play a role in flavor development.  
The objective of this study was to 
evaluate how beef flavor notes are af-
fected in two different muscles from 
cattle grazing different forages post-
weaning, with or without supplement, 
finished on either corn or 35% wet 
distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) 
diet, and aged for 7 or 28 days. 
Procedure
Crossbred steers (n = 64) were al-
lowed to graze from April 17, 2012, 
until Oct. 10, 2012, (177 days) on 
warm-season grasses at the Barta 
Brothers Ranch in the Eastern Sand-
hills of Nebraska or on cool-season 
pastures near Ithaca, Neb., without 
or with energy supplementation of 
WDGS (0.6% BW/ day). After the 
grazing period, cattle were finished on 
a corn-based diet with or without 35% 
WDGS for 119 days to an average live 
weight of 1,427 lb. Cattle were har-
vested at Greater Omaha Packing, Co. 
in Omaha, Neb. 
Six carcasses from each treatment 
(n = 48) that graded USDA Choice 
or Select were identified and Lon-
gissimus dorsi (L. dorsi) and Biceps 
femoris (B. femoris) muscles from each 
side of each carcass were collected 
and aged under vacuum for 7 and 
28 days. Upon fabrication, one steak 
was cut from each subprimal, placed 
on a Styrofoam tray, wrapped with 
oxygen-permeable overwrap film, and 
placed under simulated retail display 
for seven days. At the end of retail dis-
play, steaks were vacuumed packaged 
and frozen until further use in flavor 
lexicon taste panels at Texas A&M 
University. 
All lexicon panels were approved 
by the Institutional Review Board. An 
expert, trained descriptive attribute 
sensory panel with over 23 cumula-
tive years of experience in evaluating 
beef flavor and aromas was used. The 
panel underwent ballot development, 
training, and validation sessions to 
assure consistent rating and identifi-
cation of individual aroma and flavor 
attributes. 
During training and testing, steaks 
were cooked on a Hamilton Beach 
Health Smart® grill (model 31605A, 
Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex, Inc., 
Southern Pines, N.C.) to an internal 
temperature of 70°F. Aromas and 
flavor aromatics were evaluated using 
the Spectrum® Universal 16-point 
scale where 0 = none and 15 = ex-
tremely intense. Traits evaluated 
were browned, bloody, fat, metal, 
liver, green hay, umami, overly sweet, 
sweet, sour, salty, bitter, sour aroma, 
barnyard, burnt, heated oil, chemical, 
apricot, asparagus, cumin, floral, beet, 
chocolate, green grass, musty, me-
dicinal, petroleum, smoked/charred, 
smoked wood, spoiled, dairy, buttery, 
cooked milk, sour milk, refrigera-
tor stale, warmed over, soapy, painty, 
fishy, and cardboardy. Browned, 
fat, umami, sweet, salty, chocolate, 
smoked wood, and buttery were con-
sidered desirable flavors and the oth-
ers were considered undesirable.
Data were analyzed using the 
Mixed procedure in SAS (SAS Insti-
tute, Inc., Cary, N.C.) with differences 
determined at P < 0.05. Whenever 
there was a three- or four-way interac-
tion, the LSmeans were reanalyzed 
using the GLIMMIX procedure with 
the slicediff option in order to more 
accurately study differences. 
Results
Lexicon scores for L. dorsi steaks 
had two significant (P < 0.04) three-
way interactions — grass type, fin-
ishing diet, and aging period — for 
fat scores and supplementation, diet, 
and aging period for bloody scores. 
Kimberly A. Varnold
Chris R. Calkins
Rhonda K. Miller
Galen E. Erickson1
Summary
Crossbred steers (n = 64) were 
grazed on warm- or cool-season grass-
dominated pastures, without or with 
energy supplementation of wet distill-
ers grains with solubles (WDGS), and 
were finished on a corn-based diet with 
or without 35% WDGS. Finishing on 
corn increased desirable flavor notes 
and decreased undesirable flavor notes 
in both L. dorsi and B. femoris steaks. 
In addition, grazing on warm-season 
grasses increased the prevalence of un-
desirable flavors but was often dissipated 
by the addition WDGS supplementa-
tion. Longer aging periods tended to 
increase the prevalence of undesirable 
flavors, especially in B. femoris steaks. 
It is recommended producers provide 
WDGS supplementation, especially 
when grazing on warm-season grasses, 
and finish on an all corn diet in order to 
create a favorable flavor palate.
Introduction
Flavor is an important attribute 
when describing beef desirability. 
Beef flavor is not made up of just one 
element but of  many different flavor 
notes combined. Specific flavor notes 
in beef can be changed by the diet fed 
to cattle and by the amount of time 
the meat is aged.
Jenschke et al. (Journal of Animal 
Science, 2008, 86:949-959) found that 
when low levels of alfalfa are fed, the 
prevalence of a bloody flavor becomes 
stronger. Senaratne et al. (2010 Ne-
braska Beef Cattle Report, pp. 101-103) 
showed a higher degree of liver and/or 
off-flavor in meat from cattle fed wet 
distillers grains with solubles as op-
posed to corn. These differences were (Continued on next page)
Page 124 — 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  © The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved.
At seven days aging, the prevalence of 
fat flavor was weaker (P = 0.02) when 
cattle were grazed on cool-season 
grasses and finished on WDGS than 
when they were grazed on cool-season 
grasses and finished on corn or grazed 
on warm-season grasses and finished 
on WDGS (Figure 1). Conversely, 
when the meat was aged for 28 days, 
meat from cattle grazed on warm-
season grasses had a stronger fat 
flavor when finished on corn instead 
of WDGS, with no differences within 
cool-season grass grazing. 
For bloody flavor, of seven-day 
aged L. dorsi steaks, not supplement-
ing and finishing on WDGS caused 
the highest scores (P = 0.04) com-
pared to all other supplementation 
and finishing diet combinations 
(Figure 2). Following the 28 day aging 
periods, there were no differences 
in bloody flavor scores between any 
supplementation and finishing diet 
combinations. It would appear that 
the longer aging allows flavor differ-
ences caused by supplementation and 
finishing diet to dissipate. In addition, 
following the seven day aging period, 
beef from cattle finished on WDGS 
had low scores for fat flavor and high 
scores for bloody flavor. This suggests 
that desirable flavors are weaker at a 
shorter aging period while undesir-
able flavor are more intense. After a 
longer aging period it would appear 
that these differences are reduced.
Not supplementing while grazing 
on warm-season grasses caused the 
highest liver flavor scores in L. dorsi 
steaks (P = 0.03) compared to all 
other grass type and supplementation 
combinations (Figure 3). Grazing on 
warm-season grass and aging to 28 
days also caused higher liver scores 
(Figure 4). Clearly, grass type is a key 
factor in the development of liver 
flavor , an undesirable flavor, in beef. 
Finishing on corn significantly 
increased (P = 0.04) the sweet flavor 
intensity and decreased (P = 0.002) 
warmed over flavor (Table 1). Thus, 
corn tended to promote desirable 
flavors while dissipating undesirable 
flavors. Liver flavor was not influenced 
by finishing diet (P = 0.56). 
2
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Fa
t 
Fl
av
or
 S
co
re
s
ab
a a
b
a
b
ab ab
 Corn WDGS Corn WDGS Corn WDGS Corn WCGS
 Warm-Season Grass Cool-Season Grass Warm-Season Grass Cool-Season Grass
 7 days 28 days 
abMeans within the same aging period with the different superscripts are significantly (P < 0.05) different
Figure 1. The effect of grass type, finishing diet, and aging period on the LS means of fat flavor scores 
when separated by aging period in L. dorsi steaks (P = 0.02).
2
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
B
lo
od
y 
Fl
av
or
 S
co
re
s
 Corn WDGS Corn WDGS Corn WDGS Corn WCGS
 No  No
 Supplementation Supplementation Supplementation Supplementation
 7 days 28 days 
abMeans within the same aging period with the different superscripts are significantly (P < 0.05) different
Figure 2.  The effect of supplementation, finishing diet, and aging period on the LS means of bloody 
flavor scores when separated by aging period in L. dorsi steaks (P = 0.04).
b
a
b b
a
a a
a
a
b
b
b
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
Li
ve
r 
Fl
av
or
 S
co
re
s
 No Supplementation No Supplementation
 Supplementation  Supplementation
 Warm-Season Grass Cool-Season Grass
abMeans with different superscripts are significantly (P < 0.05) different
Figure 3.  The effect of grass type and supplementation on the LS means of liver flavor scores in L. 
dorsi steaks (P = 0.03).
© The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved. 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  — Page 125 
For B. femoris steaks, the least 
desirable flavor notes were associ-
ated with warm-season grasses (liver, 
bloody, metallic, and sour), most of 
which were improved with supple-
mentation. Aging increased painty, 
sour milk, and bitter flavors (Table 
2). For this muscle, it appears that 
longer aging periods actually promote 
undesirable flavors, which is different 
from what was seen in L. dorsi steaks. 
Muscles from the round, such as the 
B. femoris, contain less marbling. The 
marbling in the L. dorsi steaks could 
be masking any off-flavors that are 
present, even after aging. Since there 
is less marbling in B. femoris, any 
undesirable flavors that are magnified 
due to aging would be even stronger 
because there is nothing there to hide 
them. 
These data suggest that beef flavor 
is best established with cool season 
grasses, feeding WDGS as an energy 
supplement during grazing, and fin-
ishing on corn. Shorter aging periods 
appear to reduce off-flavor develop-
ment.
1Kimberly A. Varnold, graduate student; 
Chris R. Calkins, professor, University of 
Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Department of 
Animal Science, Lincoln, Neb; Rhonda K. Miller, 
professor, animal science, Texas A&M University, 
College Station, Tex; Galen E. Erickson, 
professor, UNL Department of Animal Science, 
Lincoln, Neb.
 7 Days 28 Days 7 Days 28 Days
 Warm-Season Grass Cool-Season Grass
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
Li
ve
r 
Fl
av
or
 S
co
re
s
b b
b
a
abMeans with different superscripts are significantly (P < 0.05) different
Figure 4.  The effect of grass type and aging period on the LS means of liver flavor scores in L. dorsi 
steaks (P = 0.04).
Table 1. The effect of finishing diet on the LS means for select beef lexicon scores for L. dorsi steaks.
Trait
Finishing Diet
Corn WDGS1 SEM P-value
Brown
Bloody
Fat
Metal
Liver
Sweet
Sour
Salty
Bitter
Burnt
Smoked Wood
Buttery
Sour Milk
Warmed Over
Painty
Fishy
1.88
1.59
1.77
1.70
0.14
1.07a
1.33
1.40
1.12
0.12
0.01
0.08
0.07
0.06b
0.004
0.01
1.76
1.63
1.66
1.73
0.17
0.94b
1.39
1.36
1.11
0.09
0.01
0.09
0.03
0.24a
0.000
0.03
0.07
0.04
0.05
0.04
0.04
0.04
0.04
0.03
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.02
0.02
0.04
0.003
0.01
0.20
0.43
0.10
0.59
0.56
0.04
0.25
0.37
0.99
0.52
0.98
0.91
0.28
 0.002
0.32
0.13
1WDGS = Wet distillers grains with solubles .
abMeans within the same treatment and the same row with different superscripts are different (P < 0.05).
Table 2.  The effect of grass type and aging period on LS means for select beef lexicon scores for B. femoris steaks 
Trait
Grass Type Aging Periods
SEM P-valueWarm-season Cool-season SEM P-value 7 Days 28 Days
Brown
Bloody
Fat
Metal
Liver
Sweet
Sour
Salty
Bitter
Burnt
Smoked Wood
Buttery
Sour Milk
Warmed Over
Painty
Fishy
1.67b
1.77a
1.72
2.01
0.38a
0.83
1.53a
1.37
1.41
0.15
0.008
0.05
0.09
0.54
0.02
0.05
1.83a
1.62b
1.72
1.91
0.17b
0.90
1.37b
1.41
1.41
0.20
0.000
0.04
0.09
0.59
0.06
0.04
0.06
0.05
0.05
0.04
0.05
0.04
0.04
0.03
0.04
0.03
0.004
0.01
0.03
0.06
0.02
0.02
0.04
0.02
1.00
0.09
 0.0004
0.23
0.01
0.34
0.94
0.27
0.16
0.84
1.00
0.53
0.07
0.50
1.70
1.70
1.70
1.95
0.23
0.90
1.40
1.43
1.30b
0.14
0.008
0.04
0.05b
0.51
0.01b
0.03
1.80
1.68
1.74
1.98
0.32
0.83
1.50
1.35
1.52a
0.22
0.000
0.05
0.13a
0.62
0.07a
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.05
0.04
0.04
0.04
0.04
0.03
0.04
0.03
0.004
0.01
0.03
0.06
0.02
0.02
0.19
0.80
0.55
0.57
0.16
0.23
0.09
0.10
<0.0001
0.10
0.16
0.84
0.05
0.23
0.01
0.09
abMeans within the same treatment and the same row with different superscripts are different (P < 0.05). 


https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1818&amp;context=animalscinbcr

The Effects of Diet and Cooler Aging on Specific Flavor Notes in Beef

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

UNL | Libraries