Consumer's Viewpoints About Meat Tenderness

Consumer's Viewpoints About Meat Tenderness Lois A. McGill* My congratulations to you, the animal and meat scientists of what is often labelled "taste." Cutaneous senses on the from industry, university, and government research and/or lips, tongue and cheeks respond to touch, pressure, volume, development laboratories. Throughout these reciprocal meat temperature and maybe even pain if one bites down on a conferences you have continually exhibited keen awareness piece of grizzle, and nerve messages related to texture, ten- and concern for the consumer's views, actions, and reactions. derness, and mouth feel are on their way. The salivary glands And more importantly than just listening to your consumers, put forth more saliva containing anions, cations, enzymes and you have directed your research activities towards answering lots of etc's which start to breakdown and dissolve the meat consumer desires. You know that the consumer desires eco- so the taste buds, which are also chemo-receptors, may send nomically priced fresh and processed meat products that are their messages concerning the salt, sour, bitter and sweet taste highly attractive, good color, tender, juicy, flavorful, nutri- notes. And as the jaw joints move and the teeth cut, crush tious, healthy and with no fat or additives. You also realize and grind, the auditory senses are responding to the sounds how challenging it is to try to express any "typical" consumer being emitted. Yes, millions of messages are traveling the opinions when there really isn't any such a two-legged critter; nerve pathways to the brain due to that simple act of placing and especially to express these opinions to an audience of a bite of steak in the mouth. Now the amount and intensity of scientists knowledgeable in the field. Thus allow me to take the palatability attributes can be assessed. Now a tough or the old professor's approach and say, it's a pleasure to review tenderness rating can be assigned to the steak. And now, the with you a few factors which may influence the consumer's stage is set for hedonic and value judgments. viewpoints on tenderness of meat products. Actually to look at tenderness from the consumer's view- These viewpoints are first going to be influenced by their point may be likened to looking into a kaleidascope. Yes, own sensory evaluation experiences. The sensory evaluation tenderness is very important but social and economic condi- of food basically consists of two main parts, the physiological tions are constantly changing and do influence the relative processes and their psychological interpretations. Simply importance that may be placed on tenderness as related to stated, a stimulus is received by a receptor cell which sends other palatability factors in fresh and processed meat prod- messages via the nerves to the brain for interpretations which ucts. lead to those consumer actions and reactions. The physiolog- To the distinguished diner enjoying a $40.00 filet mignon ical processes involve all five of our senses. A consumer dinner, the steak must be tender and juicy. To the cub scout views a cut of meat and visual messages are received on such or bluebird hurriedly eating a $1.00 hot dog at the county factors as the size, the shape, the color, the amount of fat, the fair, it looks like a hot dog should, so please pass the mustard, amount of lean, the amount of bone, the surface bloom and pickle relish, catsup, and great, there's chopped onions too!!! the size and direction of the muscle fibers. These visual fac- Consumers may place tenderness at different priority levels tors are then, based on prior experience, equated in some for different products. For pork, lamb, and processed meat way to the over-all quality and tenderness of the cut. These products, flavor and juiciness may, and often are, considered first visual sensory responses determine whether the rest of more important palatability attributes than tenderness. When the senses will ever get into the act. If the appearance factors appropriate preparation procedures are used, tenderness is don't make the sale, the first bite will never be taken. If and not usually a problem in these products. For fresh beef steaks when that bite is taken or about to be taken, then the other and roasts, tenderness usually receives top consideration. senses are stimulated. Aromatic molecules are carried in the Still, when consumers are making a retail purchase, tender- air to the million or so chemo-receptor cells in the olfactory ness may not be the deciding factor influencing their deci- center which send messages about the hundreds of aroma sion. Some of the other factors which may take priority are notes present and which are probably the most dominant part nutritional awareness, growing inflation, the increasing age of the population and energy conservation as reflected in the newer cooking appliances, particularly micro-wave ovens. For years, the consumer had equated marbling in beef with *Profe>sor Lois A McCiIl, Department ot Food Science and tenderness. Now the role of fat, particularly animal fat, in the Technology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon diet is being questioned. It may be less tender but if it has less 9733 7 fat it is sure to be more "healthy." This blossoming concern Reciprocal Meat Conference Proceedings, Volume 34, for nutritional values and fat content in the diet is continuing 1981 to grow and may in this decade reach full bloom. Your early 73 74 American Meat Science Association awareness of this nutritional fancy or folly, ”tender meat but only the affluent consumer could enjoy for baking potatoes or no fat,” is evident from the research studies reported at this cooking bacon or sausage in four or five minutes. Now and earlier conferences. greatly reduced prices and greatly increased functionality Growing inflation is unquestionably a compromising factor have made micro-wave ovens a common household for most consumers. A rib roast cooked to just the juicy rare appliance. Programmed cooking with variable low and high state will be tender and delicious but for the same price, two energy cycles is being heralded as the key to tender, juicy less tender chuck roasts can be purchased. And remember, meat, regardless of the cut. Supposedly all the user has to do the quarterly property tax payment is due this month. Or the, is put the meat in the oven then push or turn the dials or “built-in-tenderness,” products, ground beef, hamburger, buttons to tell the oven how and when they want that succu- sausage or lamb patties may be preferred. Besides always lent roast for the table, and it shall deliver. The increased being tender, their versatility and shorter preparation time usage of micro-wave ovens as well as the newer energy sav- may be the most important factors, especially to the increasing grills and broiler will undoubtedly influence which meat ing number of households with both spouses working and to item the consumer selects and how much importance is the increasing number of single parent households. From placed on it being a so-called tender or less tender cut. prior personal experience, I can attest to the fact that when Yes, for all fresh and processed meat products, the con- both spouses were working and there were six teen-age sons sumer does view tenderness as a very important palatability always hungry and with everyone having varying activity factor. However, impacting economic, social and environ- schedules, there was nothing more acceptable or convenient mental factors do influence the consumer’s final choice of than that stack of hamburger patties that we formed and whether it’s leg-of-lamb or spaghetti with meat balls for din- stocked in the freezer every weekend. ner tonight. But always tenderness is important. The lamb And now we must face the fact, whether we want to or not, must be tender and juicy with just a hint of garlic. The meat that we are growing older. The average age of the population balls must be tender and spicey not rubbery and dry. And is increasing as is also the number of retired people. Our when the decision has finally been made that there will be “older” consumer viewpoint on the importance of tenderness prime rib or broiled steak for Father’s Day dinner it had better as a palatability factor changes with our changing life style. be tender-or else! With more leisure time available, grandma and grandpa are Certainly you scientists should take great pride in your re- going to travel and fish not work in the kitchen. Menu selec- search which has elucidated factors which may decrease tions may include frozen casseroles or boil-in-the-bag entrees. toughening and increase tenderness of muscle fibers. Thanks “Let the processor do the preparation work for us and make it to you, the over-all quality and tenderness of today’s meat tender and tasty.” In the Flavorium, flavor panel studies on products are a picture of contrast to those of just a few short commercially prepared entrees have clearly indicated that years ago. It’s a contrast that may be likened to that between whether it is beef stroganoff, lamb curry, sweet and sour pork the wood range I learned to cook on and today’s push-button or turkey tetrazzini, the comments always center on the ten- micro-wave oven. And yet, in today’s research reports, I derness of the meat component. I’m happy to say, tenderness heard you say, ”We‘ve only just started, the best is yet to ratings have been high on almost all of the many entree items come.” Based on your past achievements, I doubt not thou that have been evaluated by our consumer-type panels.

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