Gooch, Michaela Christine (2018-11). Palatability of Beef Top Loin Steaks Sourced from Three Quality Grade Groups from Texas and Northern Establishments. Master's Thesis.
Thesis
Beef loin, strip loin steaks from Texas and northern states (Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska) and from three quality grade groups were chosen for this study: (1) Top Choice (Modest and Moderate marbling scores and representative of the upper 2/3's Choice grade), (2) Choice, and (3) Select. There were no (P > 0.05) Warner-Bratzler shear force differences or differences in consumer panel ratings for common palatability attributes (tenderness, juiciness, and flavor) between Choice and Select Texas and northern beef. However, northern Top Choice was more (P < 0.05) tender and had higher (P < 0.05) consumer panelist ratings for tenderness and juiciness liking than Texas Top Choice. The shear force values and palatability ratings for all beef, whether from Texas or northern plants, mirrored those found in the latest National Beef Tenderness Survey -2015, which showed improvement in tenderness from the surveys of the past.
