A Canadian beef satisfaction study of four kinds of steak found that quality had improved since the last audit in 2001.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association study asked more than 1,150 randomly selected consumers last year to take home free steaks, cook them and rate the quality.
It used juiciness, flavour and tenderness to measure consumer satisfaction with beef palatability and found that 80 percent of those surveyed were satisfied compared to 73 percent in 2001.
“For the first time … we have the opportunity to compare what was done in 2001,” said Mark Klassen of the CCA, which has set a goal of 100 percent consumer satisfaction.
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“A satisfied customer corresponds to a score of seven to 10 and we hope the improvement is steady over the years so we can compare our progress,” he said while presenting the results to the Canadian Beef Quality Symposium in Calgary July 8.
Study organizers bought strip loin, top sirloin, inside round and boneless cross rib steaks from 60 stores representing six retailers in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and London, Ont., and distributed them to volunteers selected from shopping malls in those cities.
The volunteers were given cooking instructions, prepared the meat at home and were later interviewed by phone.
More than 65 percent of those survey were women and were on average 46 years old. This is roughly the same demographic mix as those interviewed in 2001.
Another package of 1,200 steaks was bought at the same time and analyzed at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lacombe, Alta., where professional tasters and laboratory tests assessed meat quality. Results were similar to the volunteer group.
Lab analysis used the Warner Bratzler shear force test, in which small cores of meat from cooked steaks are placed in a machine to see how much force is needed to slice through them. The lower the amount of force required, the more tender the meat.
The inside round steaks had the highest shear force results and strip loins were the most tender.
Tenderness is rated as the most important trait among the women surveyed but less so among men.
However, the perception is that juiciness and flavour are better as tenderness improves.
As well, the study found that toughness is the greatest criticism when people complain about beef.
About 39 percent said the steaks they received were tough, while less than 10 percent complained the steaks had too much gristle, too much fat or were cut too thin or too thick.
Those surveyed agreed cooking instructions are helpful, but when asked why the steaks were not perfect, 81 percent of respondents said the steak was the problem and 19 percent said preparation methods were at fault.
Klassen said tender cuts do not need to be improved, but there has to be a way to identify the tough ones so that methods such as mechanical tenderization, better aging or marinades can be used.
A national survey of carcass quality at the country’s major packing plants starts this fall and should be finished by spring. The last carcass audit was conducted in 1995.
