Studies over the years have shown that consumers evaluate their beef consuming experiences based on tenderness, flavour and juiciness.
The Warner-Bratzler shear test is one of the most objective ways to measure tenderness.
The system mimics the force needed for human teeth to cut livestock muscle tissue. Fat and fluids in the tissue make it easier to shear meat.
Utah State University livestock economist Dillon Feuz has studied the value of the beef eating experience and said a percentage of consumers will pay a premium for meat they have enjoyed in the past.
“There is value in tenderness and the eating experience,” Feuz said. “And that value should, at some point, show up on the farm in terms of beef sales, if the industry can deliver.”
