168.

NEW PRODUC T POSSl BI L I TIES J. H. ZIEGLER and M. J. DALY THE PENNSYLVANIASTATE UNIVERSITY ......

Current efforts at The Pennsylvania State University in the area of new product possibilities are confined to those products containing ovine meat to the exclusion of other red meats. It should be understood, however, that whatever may be learned in connection with processing procedures and merchandising of ovine meats may well be applicable to all red meat prod;ncts. The time may have arrived when the basic problem is not confined to the meat of any one species but rather encompasses total meat consumption --per se. The really significant work in this area nay well include all attempts to compete with current and f-dture meat substitutes and other foods.

Since the theme of this particular part of the program is the "Future of the Lamb Industry, " what is known relative to specific problems associated with lamb consumption should be reviewed. It is a well-known fact that currently about one-third of the consumer's food dollar is expended for meat, poultry, fish and mixed foods which are mostly meat. The relative positions and trends of per c&pita lamb consumption are pre- sented in Figure 1. A comparison with the per capita consumption of all meat over the past forty years illustrates that lamb consumption has declined although per capita consumption of total red meat had increased markedly. Thus lamb usage is declining absolutely in terms of pounds con- sumed per person and relatively in terms of share of an increasing market. Further evidence of the currently undesirable status of lamb is presented in Tables 1 and 2.

In the U.S.D.A. (1968) study from which Table 2 was taken, it was reported that lamb was the least frequently used of all meats included in the study. Most non-users said they did not care for lamb or had never acquired a taste for it. Based on personal experience and the results of a U.S.D.A. (1955) survey in the Sacramento area, there appears to be two definite categories of consumers of ovine meat and meat products. The existence of these two categories of consumers presents a problem, or crystallizes a dilemma, relative to the development of new consumer products from the meat of this particular species.

The one consumer group obviously includes those persons who because of religious or ethnic background relish the flavor of lamb, year- ling or even mutton. These people actually prefer the stronger flavor customarily associated with cuts from the more aged animals in contra- distinction to the more bland flavor of lamb. Also the influence of this

A report of work begun under contract with the U. S. Department of Agriculture and authorized by the Research and Marketing Act of 1946. Contract 12-14-100-8931 (73) is being supervised by the Eastern Utilization Research and Development Division of the Agricultural Research Service. 169. group has a parental carryover, and in the same Sacramento study it was found that when both parents of a married couple used lamb 86% of those couples utilized the product. At the other extreme, when neither parent used lamb only 27% of the couples used it. The main problems for this group of consumers appeared to be associated with the availability and price of the product. These consumers appear to be the ones who have sustained ovine meat consumption at its current levels. They actually relish its flavor, purchase it whenever and wherever it is available, have a knowledge of the cuts and how to prepare them and have not been influenced by an unfavorable image. Probably the past with its tremendous seasonal vmiations in supply and price, over-fat carcasses and cuts offered with insufficient trimming, and in many cases small meatless cuts has hindered the acceptance of ovine meats even by this group. The Perm State experience has been that numerous consuners are always available and willing to purchase ovine cuts thzt are meaty, closely-trimmzd and priced at a level profitable to both producers and processors. In the other group, which may be designated limited or non-users, are those persons who will accept ovine meats and products if they are either extremely bland or highly seasoned to minimize or eliminate the characteristic flavor associated with this species. The majority of U. S. consumers of red meats most likely fall into this category.

The American Sheep Producers' Council in the 1950's based their original lamb promotional program on the findings of the Institute of Motivational Research. It appears that many of the problems which the Institute delineated with regard to attitudes toward lamb, other than flavor, still exist and include the following:

1. To some people, lamb carries the stigma of being a delicate feminine food. 2. Even in high lamb consuming areas, many people know only about the legs and chops. 3. Lamb is often considered to be for the very young or the very old and thus is classified as a health food. This thought may have an adverse effect on consumption. 4. The lamb image suffers from the detrimental influence left by war veterans who had undesirable experiences with either mutton or incorrectly prepared lamb while in the service. 5. Lamb has had no middle ground in price. It is either extremely high or low in price and in the latter case often constitutes a distress item. 6. Lamb is a seasonal meat quite often associated with special occasions. 7. Lamb often presents the homemaker with a problem as to the proper method of preparation.

There is probably a limited amount that can be done to change the basic image of ovine meats as primarily intended for the young, the aged, the delicate, the feminine, or the convalescent. However, chicken was once associated with the preacher and Sunday and obviously that image has been dissociated. 170.

The seasonality of supply as reflected in price of lamb carcasses is well illustrated in Figure 2, covering the twelve-month period prior to May 1, 1968, on the New York and Philadelphia markets. It is conceivable that this problem, too, will remain, at least temporarily, and a constant supply of carcasses of somewhat uniform age, size, fleshing and quality will not be characteristic of the lamb market in the immediate future. There will also continue to be markets where fresh lamb cuts are not available simply because of the current economics associated with returns from lamb operations. In one report (Carpenter, 1961) it was concluded that time spent with beef at the retail level will return 3 times as much salable meat as the same time spent on lamb. It has also been observed that retail cuts of lamb offered for sale often lack uniformity as to cutting procedures. It is entirely possible that few meat cutters at this level are cognizant and capable of doing an effective job of lamb cutting and merchandising.

Consumer interviews have also shown preparation of the product as a factor relative to ovine meat consumption. This should not be an impor- tant determent to lamb consumption now since the American Sheep Producers' Council, The National Live Stock and Meat Board and many other organizations have literally flooded the country with suggestions for cooking lamb cuts, and the basic preparation procedures suggested are the same as for other meats and include the time-honored dry oven roasting, broiling, braising, stewing--dLl fairly well-known and established cooking methods.

Consequently, it appears that the basic dilemma in regards to lamb revolves around the characteristic flavor of the product. Much has been reported in the literature concerning this aspect of the acceptability and consumption of ovine products. Most researchers would now agree that the characteristic ovine flavor is associated with the fat of the species. It may be as Cramer (1962) claimed that one of the main objections of those who do not like lamb is that they can taste the fat for a considerable period of time after the lamb has been eaten. He indicated that even those who relish lamb admit that the fat tends to coat the inside of the mouth and remains as an undesirable aftertaste. Cramer's conclusion was that the tallowy effect is apparently because of larger amounts of saturated fatty acids in lamb depot fat as compared with either beef or pork.

Wasserman and Talley (1968) of the Eastern Utilization Laboratory recently reported some interesting facts relative to the flavor of lamb. These authors found a surprisingly high rate of lamb identification by panelists most of whom had indicated that they had eaten very little Iamb previously or that they did not care for lamb. The authors concluded that the flavor of lamb is so characteristic it can be identified by people with little previous exposure. Their work also indicated that the specific lamb flavor factor is either a component of the fat or is fat-soluble. Wasserman and Talley somewhat support the work of Hornstein and Crowe (1963). They stated definitely that the characteristic aroma of heated lamb arose from the fat and that the major portion of the odor, obtained upon heating, was contributed by carbonyl compounds. These odor- flavor compounds, or their precursors, are apparently present in only trace amounts in the fat. Heating the bulk of the triglycerides, after removal of these trace compounds, did not generate the characteristic lamb aroma. 171.

The lean meat portions contributed a basic meaty flavor similar to that obtained from lean beef or lean pork. Volatile compounds isolated from lean lamb as well as physical data obtained for compounds not completely charac- terized were similar to those obtained from lean beef and pork. The flavor precursors in lean lamb were low-molecular weight,water-soluble compounds that produced characteristic aromas on heating.

Probably one of the major incentives for the work now going on at Penn State was the growing area of convenience type foods. Unquestionably food items that are partidly or totally prepared and offer rapid and convenient service are being increasingly accepted by the U. S. consumer. This coupled with some limited knowledge that ovine meats are scarcely included among available convenience-type foods prompted the Penn State interest. On three different occasions, the Meats Laboratory research technician has been sent on buying forays throughoilt the local area. Her assignment was to purchase all convenience-type foods containing lamb. The only success to date has been two products--pickled lamb tongues in a glass container ready to eat and Scotch Broth, a soup containing mutton, ready to heat and serve. The current trend for convenience-type foods and the con- sumer's desire for them is routinely demonstrated at the retail counter in the Meats Laboratory over which all meats from class and research activity are sold. Ground lamb is customarily sold for 40 cents per pound and usually requires some salesmanship to move it at that price. When the same unseasoned product is made into four-ounce portions and enclosed in slices of bacon secured with toothpicks--the typical lamb patties, they move rapidly at 20 or 25 cents each. However, customers usually request cooking instructions with this purchase. This not only illustrates the desire for convenience-type foods but also the consumer's willingness to pay for them. Another interesting aspect of lamb consumption has been supplied by Mr. Homer S. Porteus of the U.S.D.A. Livestock Marketing and Utilization Science. A Greek restaurant, the Astor, in Washington, D.C., daily features various lamb dishes on its menus. According to Mr. Porteus, the pro- prietoress of this establishment insists that to be acceptable lamb must have all fat trimmed off prior to cooking. Reports are that this one restaurant utilizes an average of 500 forequarters and 125 hindquarters of lamb per week as the traditional broiled and roasted cuts along with many exotic sounding combinations. The prices of most lamb dishes at this restaurant are relatively low as compared with comparable quality establish- ments. This could conceivably have a significant influence on the consump- tion as reported; however, this information does provide an example of successful lamb merchandising through another rapidly growing channel.

Current efforts at Penn State revolve around the ever-present dilemma of the consumer group one is attempting to reach. The largest potential market obviously is among the current non-users of lamb and con- sequently the products produced to date have been directed toward what is believed to be the desires of that group. Generally, the products have been processed exclusively from ovine meats that have been closely trimmed of separable fat. In other words the portion containing the compounds respon- sible for ovine meat flavor, as reported by Hornstein and Crowe and Wasserman and Talley, has been removed or minimized. To these products, in every case, salt, spices, herbs and vegetables have been added in sufficient quantities to mask any characteristic flavor residue. As a matter of fact, 172.

among the present trained taste panelists there are probably several women who would logically be classified as liking the flavor of ovine meats. These women, even when they rate the products under evaluation high in acceptability, consistently criticize new formulations for lacking lamb flavor. On occasion the same products have been made from lamb and beef and found to have no discernible differences in flavor; however, 5 out of 8 panelists rated lamb loaves higher in total preference than beef loaves even though the products were not identified as to source of raw material.

From Figure 3 one can readily see that quite a few lamb products have been formulated and promoted by many individuals and organizations. Some of these products have been produced and successfully served repeatedly to large groups while others have had only limited testing. Again, practically none appear in retail outlets today.

Present work at The Pennsylvania State University is being carried out with support from the U. S.D.A., A.R. S. Contract 12-14-100-8931 ( 73) entitled "Investigations of New Fabricated Products for Increased Meat Utilization, Including New Lamb and Mutton Products." This work is designed to fit into the general program for lamb promotion by (1) creating an all-carcass demand for ovine meats and thereby reducing the pressure on legs and chops and (2) building a demand for lamb which would be steady throughout the year. These objectives are aided by processed products which cm be differentiated by quality, distinctiveness, storage capability, brand and price.

Current investigations are confined to the establishment of commercially adaptable processing techniques for such products as precooked frozen lamb loaves, marinated shish kebobs ready for cooking, cured lamb cuts, cured and smoked lamb cuts, boneless smoked lamb shoulders, precooked frozen curries, precooked spiced shanks and rice, dry and fermented lamb sausage and lamb breakfast sausage. Each product developed is being evaluated by trained consumer panels and trial household usage.

In a recent Penn State survey with 170 persons at an annual Sheep Field Day, respondents indicated their reasons for not using lamb as (1) too hi& cost, (2) unavailable steady supply and (3) no knowledge of prep- aration. It sounds pretty much like the same story that was told 13 years ago. Perhaps these objections can be remedied by the development of new commercial lamb products that will eliminate tedious preparation, that can be conveniently stored either fresh or frozen and will make use of lower- priced cuts. The homemaker who had previously shied away from exotic and expensive sounding dishes as lamb shish kebobs, Creoles and curries may find these items reasonably priced and as simple to prepare as boiling a bag or placing a frozen dinner in the oven and, as a bonus, provide variety to her menus.

Much of the hope that lamb convenience-type items may capture a significant part of the retail market is based on surveys (Fladger, 1956) of shopping habits. One such survey indicated that today's "convenience customer increasingly skips the planned shopping list and shops the store" and as early as 1956, 70.8% of 611 supermarket purchases were decided upon in the store. 173.

In any new product development work it must be remembered that if a product is a variation or faces strong competition from close substitutes, buyers must find it significantly differentiated so that, once they have tried it, they find in it a level of utility satisfactory enough to warrant repeated purchases. Statistics are presented from time to time from many sources to show that relatively few new products become successful. What statistics there are suggest a fairly high rate of new product mortaity. One source reports that from 50 to 98 percent of all new products are not successful. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the successive "hurdles" a new product idea must overcome and the accumulating costs of developing and masketing it. This is a fair indication of the tremendous task that lies ahead for developing and marketing lamb in the form of new products. But difficult as it may appear, it may be a necessary undertaking if the trend towards lower ovine meat consumption is to be reversed.

Carpenter, G. A. 1961. Lamb competition in the meat trade. Western Livestock Round-Up 5: 6.

Cramer, D. A. 1962. Genetic and environmental effects on fat composition of lambs. Proc. Reciprocal Meat Conf. 15:173. Fladger, V. L. 1956. The Selling Power of Packaging. McGraw-Hill Book Company . Hansen, H. L. 1961. Marketing Text, Cases and Readings. Richard D. Irwin, Inc.

Hornstein, J. and P. F. Crowe. 1963. Flavor: lamb. J. Agr. and Food Chemistry. 11: 147.

National Commission of Food Maxketing . 1966. Organization and competition in the livestock and meat industry. Technical Study 1:90. U.S.D.A. 1957. Results of a promotional campaign for lamb in Sacramento, California. Marketing Res. Report No. 200.

U.S.D.A. 1967-68. Market News, New York and Philadelphia. U.S.D.A. 1968. Homemakers' opinions about selected meats: a preliminary report.

Wassermm, A. E. and F. Talley. 1968. Organoleptic identification of roasted beef, veal, lamb and pork as affected by fat. J. Food. Sci. 33:219. 174.

170 .9

160 -8

-7 150

wVI lQ i! i! 0 s- -6 In 2 140 0 c C m 3 CI 0 0 n w

ln W C -5 a 130

-4 120

-3 11c 1 175. Table 1

Percentages of Different Meats Delivered to Retail Stores of Three Large Food Chains, 1965

-Item Februarx 2222 Carcass beef 34.9 33.7 Boneless beef 5.0 5.8 Ve al 0.9 1.0 LAMB 1.0 0.8 Fresh pork 9.8 7.4 Smoked meats and bacon 10.6 9.4 Sausage & luncheon meats 10.8 11.2 Poultry 17.9 21.8 Frozen & canned meats 2.5 2.8 Seafood 2.2 1.6 Other 4.4 4.5

Total 100.0 100.0

National Commission on Food Marketing, 1966.

Table 2

Homemaker s Utilization of Selected Meats

Smoked or Usual frequency Fresh cured of serving Beef Chicken Bacon pork pork LAMB

More than once a month 97 83 83 61 37 10

Once a month or less 3 15 11 30 50 18

Not in past 12 months 0 2 6 9 13 72

U. S.D.A., 1968 176.

c, q Philadelphia -

66

63

60

57

54

51

48 b I I L 1 I I I I I I I H J J A 5 0 N D J F M A M

Figure 2. High and low prices for lamb carcasses for 12 months preceding May 1, 1968. U.S.D.A., Market News, 1967-68 177. 178.

7 00 Idea Curve

Product Curve

U a, m 600 0 2a. a. 0 0 Ln

500 i /\ I\ I \ I \ 40 0 I I I \ I L I I I I 300 I 1 I 1 I \ I I I \ 200 I \ I 1 I \

Q) 100 2 L I m 1 E l N

Hansen, Figure 4. New product development. 1961