Consumer Sensory Acceptance and Value of Domestic, Canadian, and Australian Grass-Fed Beef Steaks

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Animal Science

Volume

83

Publication Date

2005

First Page

2863

Last Page

2868

Abstract

To determine US consumer acceptance and value of beef from various countries, 24 taste panels of consumers (n = 273 consumers) were conducted in Denver and Chicago. Two pairs of strip steaks were evaluated for flavor, juiciness, tenderness, and overall acceptability on eight-point hedonic scales. One pair consisted of an Australian grass-fed strip steak and a domestic strip steak, whereas the other pair included Canadian and domestic strip steaks. The pairs were matched to similar Warner-Bratzler shear values and marbling scores to decrease variation associated with tenderness and juiciness. A variation of the Vickery auction was used to obtain silent, sealed bids on steaks (0.45 kg) from the same strip loins sampled in the taste panel. Consumers gave higher (P < 0.001) scores for flavor, juiciness, tenderness, and overall acceptability for domestic steaks compared with Australian grass-fed steaks. Domestic steaks averaged $3.68/0.45 kg, whereas consumers placed an average value of $2.48/0.45 kg on Australian grass-fed steaks (P < 0.001). Consumers rated Canadian steaks numerically lower for juiciness (P = 0.09) and lower (P < 0.005) for flavor, tenderness, and overall acceptability than domestic samples. Consumers placed an average value of $3.95/0.45 kg for domestic steaks and $3.57/0.45 kg for Canadian steaks (P < 0.01). Consumers (19.0%) who preferred Australian grass-fed steaks over domestic steaks paid $1.38/0.45 kg more (P < 0.001), whereas consumers (29.3%) who favored the Canadian steaks over the domestic steaks paid $1.37/0.45 kg more (P < 0.001) for the Canadian steaks. A majority of US consumers seem to be accustomed to the taste of domestic beef and prefer domestic steaks to beef from Australia grass-fed and Canadian beef.

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