Masters Theses

Date of Award

3-1974

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Animal Science

Major Professor

William R. Backus

Committee Members

W. T. Butts, C. C. Melton

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare ground beef fabricated from two lean sources (domestic and foreign) to contain five levels of fat (16, 25, 30, 35, and 45 percent). USDA Choice grade plates served as the common fat source. Good grade chucks were used for the source of domestic lean, and imported boneless chucks from Managua, Nicargua were the foreign source of lean. The meat was ground and made into patties of five fat levels—16, 25, 30, 35, and 45 percent fat, half of the patties being of the domestic lean source and half being of the foreign lean source. A ten-family taste panel selected from high-income University personnel and low-income University personnel were used to evaluate paired samples and designate a preference. All possible com-binations of the five fat levels and two lean sources were compared. A six-member trained taste panel was also used to score flavor, tenderness, and juiciness and declare a preference for all possible comparisons of both broiled and fried samples. Percent moisture, percent fat, percent protein, evaporation loss, drip loss, total loss, and internal temperature were recorded for the cooked samples used for taste panel scoring. The following observations can be made upon analysis and interpretation of the data presented in this thesis. It was found that the men of the family panel preferred 25 and 30 percent fat patties over 16, 35, and 45 percent fat levels, with 45 per-cent fat being preferred least of all. Women showed little difference in preference between 16, 25, 30, and 35 percent fat level patties but did show a sharp decline in preference for the 45 percent fat level patties. The high-income families were compared to the low-income families for their preference of the five fat levels. There was little dif-ference in the preference between 16, 25, 30, and 35 percent fat levels. A decline in preference was noted at the 45 percent fat level for both high-income and low-income families. All family panel data were combined for preference of domestic lean source and foreign lean source. At all levels of fat, the domestic lean source was preferred over the foreign lean source (62.1 percent and 37.9 percent, respectively). There was essentially no difference in high-income families and low-income families and their preference for ground beef from domestic lean source over that from foreign lean source. A trained taste panel was used to evaluate both broiled and fried samples from all fat levels of both lean sources. For broiled samples, there was a decline in preference from the 16 to 35 percent fat levels, but a sharp increase in preference was shown for the 45 percent fat level patties. Preference for the fried samples followed a somewhat different pattern. There was a high degree of preference for the 45 and 16 percent fat levels. Preference dropped for the 25 percent fat level patties. It was even lower for the 35 percent and the 30 percent fat level patties were preferred least of all. The trained taste panel's preference was compared for the domestic and foreign source of lean in both fried and broiled samples. It was noted that the domestic source of lean was preferred slightly over the foreign source for fried samples. However, the foreign source of lean was preferred slightly over the domestic source for broiled samples. When broiled and fried preferences were combined, the total preference for domestic and foreign sources of lean were essentially no different. Chemical data (percent moisture, percent fat, and percent protein of the cooked patties) was recorded. Broiled samples tended to retain more moisture than the fried samples. However, broiled samples were lower than fried samples for percent fat and percent protein. The domestic lean source for both broiled and fried samples was lower in percent moisture, higher in percent fat, and lower in percent protein than the foreign source of lean. Organoleptic properties (flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and overall score) were recorded. When means were compared, broiled samples were higher in tenderness, juiciness, and overall score than fried samples but lower in flavor. For broiled samples, domestic lean was higher for tenderness, juiciness, and overall score but lower in flavor than the foreign lean source. The domestic lean source in fried samples was higher for flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and overall score. Cooking losses (evaporation loss, drip loss, and total loss) were recorded. Means were compared, and the broiled samples were higher for drip loss, but the fried samples were higher for evaporation and total loss, but lower than the domestic lean source in drip loss. In the fried samples, the domestic lean source was higher in evaporation and total loss and lower in drip loss than the foreign lean source. For both broiled and fried samples when flavor, tenderness, and juiciness were compared, tenderness was more highly correlated to overall score, followed by juiciness and then flavor. However, all were highly positive correlations. Tenderness and juiciness were highly related in both broiled and fried samples. However, flavor for the broiled samples was not sig-nificantly associated with tenderness or juiciness, but in the fried samples flavor was highly related to tenderness but not significantly correlated with juiciness. Percent fat in the broiled samples was highly related to juiciness and tenderness, respectively, but had a high negative correlation to flavor. Percent fat for fried samples was highly related to juiciness but not significantly associated with tenderness, and, like the broiled samples, had a highly negative correlation to flavor. Thus it appears that a wide range of fat percentage in ground beef is acceptable to the consumer. However, a distinct preference was noted for domestic lean as compared to foreign lean The trained taste panel preference did not parallel the family panel data, but a wide range of fat levels was preferred by the trained panel. There was essentially no difference in the trained panel's preference for foreign lean source or domestic lean source.

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