Discrimination of beef composition and sensory quality by REIMS
A major activity of the INTAQT project is to conduct research to better discriminate beef… Read more »
One of the challenges of the INTAQT project is to assess the eating qualities of beef samples (striploins) representing 11 different European farming systems. Those systems are in Switzerland (n = 4), France, Great-Britain, Italy (n =2 each) and Spain (n = 1). Each is represented by 5 farms involving 10 animals for meat analyses. Consumer sensory tests focus on 198 animals in total, 18 per system, namely 3 or 4 per farm.
The collection of beef samples took place between October 2022 and January 2024, due to the small farm size and accordingly to numerous slaughters in some countries, such as France and Switzerland. After slaughter, each carcass had to be classified by an accredited 3G grader to collect the data needed for the meat quality predictions using the European 3G and the MSA models. These data and sample collections required considerable logistical efforts from many people in the concerned teams. However, this will enable to compare the prediction results and the real consumers assessments of beef eating qualities for a part of the animals representing the 11 European studied bovine systems.
According to the INTAQT project, 3 countries must carry out the consumer sensory tests for beef: France, Italy and Poland, reaching a total of 420 untrained consumers. France is responsible for 3 series and the two last countries for 2 series, each series involving 60 consumers organized in 3 sessions of 20 people. Unlike the method used for poultry and dairy products, the beef sessions must be managed in compliance with the MSA/3G protocols. Thus, the degustation plans are designed by the IMR3G Foundation. Each beef sample is assessed by 10 people and each person tastes 6 samples plus 1 more proposed in the first instance as a link/reference. The samples are evaluated for tenderness, juiciness, flavour liking and overall liking on 0 to 100 scales and then assigned to a quality grade out of the 4 proposed (unsatisfactory, good for every day, better than every day, premium). All meats have been aged 10 days, kept then frozen until the sensory testing of grilled samples to well-done degree.
Acta-Institut de l’Elevage organized its 3 sessions in May, June and beginning of July this year, respectively in Rennes, Clermont-Ferrand and Villers-Bocage (western, center and north-western parts of France) to reach a diverse public. These sessions were set up with the help of INRAE colleagues and involved meats sampled by the 5 countries whose beef production systems were studied. The experimental samples tested by the 180 French consumers came from 106 animals, namely 36 Swiss, 22 French, 19 Italian, 18 British, and 11 Spanish heads. The link meats were taken form 18 French, Swiss or British bovines. Next consumer sensory tests should take place in Italy.
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