Consumer Steak Preferences Studied

March 2, 2001

Three beef cuts have been studied through the beef checkoff to help better understand consumer likes and practices and increase demand for both higher-valued and underutilized cuts. The research was conducted at a leading university and coordinated by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association under contract to the Cattlemen's Beef Board.

Goals of the "Beef Customer Satisfaction II" research were to determine the relationship of quality in lower-valued cuts such as the clod; learn the value of preparation instructions on the top sirloin steak, which can be undesirably tough when overcooked; investigate whether new technologies, such as calcium chloride injection, improve the top sirloin's tenderness when the product is prepared to a higher degree of doneness, and determine whether calcium chloride injection could be used to enhance the acceptability of lower-priced steaks.

The research found that for the clod steak, in-home factors such as cooking methods and degrees of doneness influenced consumer satisfaction more than did the quality grade. Researchers concluded that preparation techniques that improve flavor without reducing tenderness improve customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction of top round steaks, meanwhile, were not improved by the introduction of the calcium chloride marinade.

Research found that flavor predominantly determined whether consumers liked the top sirloin steak, followed by tenderness and juiciness. Cooking method also had an influence on palatability of this cut, with fried being the method with the highest ratings and broiled being lowest. The calcium chloride marinade had no effect on tenderness or customer satisfaction.

Whether participants liked the flavor was the major factor driving customer satisfaction for all three categories of beef cuts analyzed.

For the research, evaluations were conducted on a 10-point scale for overall 'like', tenderness, juiciness, flavor 'like' and flavor amount. Participants for the in-home trial were divided into three categories for analysis: "beef loyals" who are heavy beef eaters; "variety rotators" who also eat beef but split their meat consumption among different protein sources, and "budget rotators" who splits its meat consumption based on budget concerns.

The study focused on beef consumers in Chicago and Philadelphia. It utilized and supplemented findings from an extensive study conducted in 1995 called "Beef Customer Satisfaction."

A brochure on the "Beef Customer Satisfaction II" study is available by writing to: Beef Customer Satisfaction II, Department of Research and Technical Services, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, 5420 S. Quebec Street, Greenwood Village, CO, 80111.