Meat&Poultry - July 2011 - 32

BEEF-FLAVOR ATTRIBUTES

upper two-thirds of the Choice supply, such as Certified Angus Beef. Woerner points out that the Angus breed claim alone, doesn’t necessarily guarantee higher-quality beef with marbling to earn a Choice grade. There are plenty of Angus Select-graded products on the market today. “Everyone has really used the Angus name because of its marketing distinction, but not all Angus products are created equal,” he says. “Consumers, food professionals, chefs and people in the culinary world should be very well aware of that.” Another breed that is growing in popularity is Wagyu cattle, marketed by many companies as American-style Kobe. According to Woerner, when offered in blind taste tests he conducts on a regular basis, Wagyu is typically the favorite. “They like the mouthfeel of the fat in the beef,” he says. The flavor associated with highly marbled beef such as Wagyu, is most often described as “buttery” by consumers and is what most US consumers enjoy. “That’s why we grain-finish cattle in this country; it’s for quality purposes.” Most US beef is finished on corn, “which tends to stabilize or neutralize flavor profi le differences,” and it explains why tenderness is more likely to be the most distinctive difference in flavor. When it comes to the average beef eater, pinning down a specific attribute or taste is usually a challenge. The relationship between tenderness, marbling and how these factors impact beef flavor is the subject of considerable debate. But indeed, tenderness is perhaps the most important contributor to the overall beef-eating experience. It is the product of marbling, aging and breed type. “What we think contributes the most to a positive beef-eating experience is tenderness,” says Woerner. Tenderness and mouthfeel, he says, is most related to the level of fat in a beef cut.

Grass vs. grain
Beef production experts say the easiest way to affect the flavor of a product

is to manipulate the fat within it; not only the amount but the composition of the fat. The type of feed used in production and finishing is one manner of affecting fat composition. For example, when comparing grass vs. grain-finished steer, the fatty acid profi le of each is considerably different. Grass-finished beef, most of which is not assigned a quality grade by the US Dept. of Agriculture, is typically leaner than grain-finished beef. There are differences in the fatty-acid profile of each. Grass-fi nished has a higher proportion of omega-3 fatty acids, however in these proportions, the amounts don’t make a difference in terms of health benefits. A grain-fi nished steer that is fatter than a grass-finished steer actually contains more omega-3 fatty acids, said Woerner, but in lower proportions. In taste tests, there is a distinct contrast in flavors between the two. “There is a big difference in flavor, mainly from the leanness of the product and the fatty-acid profile differences.” Most consumers, he says, would classify grass-fed beef as stronger in flavor, or in many cases, they will categorize the flavor as “gamey.” “Based on research done here, we have classified those flavors as being ‘grassy’ or even a fishy-type of flavor,” which is related to influence of omega-3 in the meat that is a prod-

uct of the grass finishing, he says. For some consumers, these flavor profi les are the epitome of beef flavors. “They like the stronger, gamier flavor of grass-fi nished beef,” according to Woerner, “but they are a minority.” The average consumer in the US favors traditionally produced, grainfi nished beef, which makes up more than 96 percent of all beef produced in the US. He contends that if demand for grass-fed beef was higher, ranchers would produce more, but for now the supply is adequate to meet the needs of the niche. To appeal to that niche, most grass-fed beef companies market their product as “locally raised and processed” and often is sold at local farmer’s markets or regional supermarkets.

Aging tastefully
Aging is another means of influencing beef flavor. Dry aging is achieved by exposing the meat to an open-air environment where humidity is controlled, without the benefit of packaging. The more common method, wet aging, occurs when a product is packaged in a vacuum-sealed bag, and results in higher yields of product because there is no dehydration loss like there is with dry aging. According to Woerner, there is a discernible flavor difference between the two aging methods, but they are too subtle for most consumers to detect. Dry-aged products have a concentration of flavors due to the dehydration process. “Those products have microflora or in some cases certain types of mold growing on that product that can impart specific flavors.” In blind taste testing, however, most consumers are unable to taste the difference between dry and wet aging, Woerner says. “Beef connoisseurs can distinguish that difference, but the general public generally won’t.” Due to the leanness and absence of fat in grass-fed beef, the benefits of dry aging this type of product comes at the expense of dehydrating the exposed lean meat. “So instead of trimming off the exterior fat that you normally would with grain-finished beef,

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