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The study analysed the effect of frozen storage duration (FSD) on lamb sensory quality. Trained panel evaluated Longissimus lumborum aged for 1 d in unfrozen carcass plus 3 d in modified atmosphere packaging on thawed (1, 9, 15 or 21 month FSD) or refrigerated (0 month FSD) meat. Consumer acceptability test was performed on leg chops ( Semimembranosus ) kept in the same conditions but those chops for the visual test were retail displayed up to 10 d from packaging. FSD differed on texture variables and fresh meat showed intermediate values among thawed meats for trained evaluators. Consumers gave the lowest acceptability to 21 months FSD and preferred 1 month FSD, being all meats ‘acceptable’. A third of the population scored fresh meat with the lowest acceptance after consumption, although its visual score remained ‘acceptable’ 3 d longer than most of thawed meats. As thawed and fresh meats were equally preferred at short display, consumer concerns about thawed meat might be reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Food selection and consumption can be affected by different intrinsic and extrinsic cues. In this study, the effect of three extrinsic cues (country of origin, price and feeding system) on consumer’s purchasing decisions making process for lamb meat in three European countries: Spain, France and United Kingdom was investigated, as well as the relative importance of each cue. Four countries were considered for evaluating the effect of the country of origin (local, Argentina, Switzerland and Uruguay), three feeding systems (grain-fed, grass-fed and grain+grass-fed) and different price levels (low, medium and high), which were simultaneously compared. Fifteen profiles combining the different levels for each of the factors considered where those obtained by means of an orthogonal design. These profiles were evaluated by 100, 99 and 92 consumers in Spain, France and United Kingdom, respectively. Moreover, consumers sensory evaluated lamb from four different feeding systems, grain-fed, grass-fed and two mixtures of grain and grass-fed. Conjoint analysis was carried out both for evaluating clusters of consumers in each country and for considering an overall evaluation of all the countries at the same time. In general, the origin of the meat was the most important factor in determining consumer’s purchasing decisions making process, the local one being the most preferred. Uruguayan origin was the least preferred, which indicates that Uruguayan public and private sectors would need to enhance their country and meat image as well as support market promotion and penetration strategies in the European market. For some consumers the feeding system was the most important factor for choosing any particular meat amongst others, being grass-fed animal the most preferred. These results are not in agreement with the consumer’s acceptability studies of lamb meat when taste the meat from different feeding systems in a blind condition (without information), showing a disconfirmation. Lamb meat price has a minor role in determining consumer’s purchasing decisions. However, one segment of consumers, composed mainly by men, considered that the price is the most important factor. These findings showed the importance of studying consumer preferences and their segmentation for developing market promotions, which should have a holistic approach including extrinsic factors in the evaluation of consumer’s purchasing decisions making process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sensory characteristics of longissimus thoracis muscle from three local Spanish beef breed-production systems and their relationships with chemical and instrumental meat quality traits were studied. Young bulls of Bruna dels Pirineus (BP; n =69), Avileña-Negra Ibérica (A-NI; n =70) and Morucha (MO; n =70) breeds were reared in their own production systems. MO breed showed the highest water holding capacity and also the highest thawing loss and haem pigment content (P <0.001). No differences in moisture and protein contents were found among breeds. A-NI showed the highest intramuscular fat (IMF, P <0.05) and total collagen (P <0.001) contents, whereas BP showed the lowest IMF content (P <0.05) and the highest collagen solubility (P <0.001). Beef flavour, tenderness and juiciness accounted for the eating quality differences among the three breed-production systems. Meat from A-NI was rated significantly higher (P <0.01) for beef flavour and tenderness than that from BP and MO animals. Furthermore, MO showed the lowest juiciness (P <0.001) which could be due to its higher thawing loss. Within the three breeds, thawing loss was negatively correlated with juiciness and, likewise cooking loss with juiciness and tenderness (P <0.05). The canonical discriminant analysis showed that the three breeds were significantly different (P <0.05) from each other according to sensory attributes, which justifies their involvement in different protected geographical indications (PGI). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we propose a method to learn the reasons why groups of consumers prefer some beef products to others. We emphasise the role of groups since, from a practical point of view, they may represent market segments that demand different products. Our method starts representing people’s preferences in a metric space; there we are able to define a kernel based similarity function that allows a clustering algorithm to identify significant groups of consumers with homogeneous likes. Finally, in each cluster, we developed, with a support vector machine (SVM), a function that explains the preferences of those consumers grouped in the cluster. The method was applied to a real case of consumers of beef that tasted beef from seven Spanish breeds, slaughtered at two different weights and aged for three different ageing periods. Two different clusters of consumers were identified for acceptability and tenderness, but not for flavour. Those clusters ranked two very different breeds (Asturiana and Retinta) in opposite order. In acceptability, ageing period was appreciated in a different way. However, in tenderness most consumers preferred long ageing periods and heavier to lighter animals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The acceptability of beef from Uruguay (UY), based on eating quality, was compared with beef produced in different European countries (Germany, DE, Spain, ES and United Kingdom, UK). Consumer tests were conducted in DE, ES and UK (each comprising 200 consumers) using ‘Hall Tests’. In each country four samples were evaluated, two from Hereford steers from UY (finished at 2 and 3 years) and two from local meat (the same meat sample aged 7 or 20d). Consumers evaluated tenderness, flavour and overall acceptability using 8-point category scales. Hierarchical cluster analysis, highlighted the existence of different clusters of consumers. Two main clusters were identified in DE and UK. The main cluster identified in DE, was labelled as Prefer foreign-imported beef (n =128). These consumers preferred (P <0.05) the samples from UY_2y in terms of tenderness and overall acceptability. The other cluster was labelled as Prefer local beef in terms of flavour and overall acceptability (P <0.05) and comprised the majority of consumers from ES (n =176) and UK (n =153) and the cluster 2 from DE (n =69). UK, cluster 2 (n =33) that did not discriminate between origin and ageing time of beef. These results indicate that consumers did not prefer the same type of meat within the same country and it is possible that there are individual preferences that could lead to the concept of market segmentation being based on taste preferences. It would appear that Uruguayan beef would be very acceptable in Germany and to a lesser extent in Britain and Spain, although further studies are required that include labelling information. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the present study German (DE), Spanish (ES) and British (UK) consumers’ acceptance of lamb from their own country compared to lamb from Uruguay (UY) was evaluated. Two-hundred consumers in each country evaluated tenderness, flavour and overall acceptability of four types of lamb, two from UY (light and heavy lambs aged 20 d) and 2 local (with two ageing times, 7 and 20 d). In each country 1.5cm-thick slices of lamb were evaluated by previously selected consumers in controlled conditions. DE and UK consumers showed significantly (P <0.05) different acceptability scores between samples, the lamb from heavier animals and aged 20 d being the most appreciated. On the other hand the majority of the ES consumers significantly (P <0.05) preferred the meat from lighter lambs. Production systems, cultural aspects and consumption habits seem to affect the acceptability of the lamb to the consumers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The fatty acid composition of commercial lambs from different production systems of Spain, Germany, United Kingdom and of two types of Uruguayan lambs (heavy and light) was studied. Concentrate fed lambs, as Spanish lambs, displayed the highest proportions of linoleic acid (C18:2), while Uruguayan lambs, reared under extensive grazing conditions, showed the highest proportions of linolenic acid (C18:3), due to the great concentration of this fatty acid in grass. German and British lambs, which were fed grass and concentrate, displayed intermediate proportions of linolenic acid (C18:3). Heavy Uruguayan lambs had higher intramuscular fat content (5.92%) than German (4.25%) and British (4.32%) lambs, and this content was twofold higher than light lambs (Spanish (2.41%) and light Uruguayan (3.05%)). Heavy Uruguayan, German and British lambs had a low polyunsaturated/saturated (P/S) ratio due to their high saturated fatty acid (SFA) content and proportion. Principal component analysis was performed to study the relationship between fatty acids. Spanish lambs were clearly separated from the other types and were situated close to the proportions of short chain and n −6 fatty acids and n −6/n −3 ratio in the data plot for fatty acid proportions. Light Uruguayan lambs were located close to long chain fatty acids, and heavy Uruguayan and British lambs were placed near the antithrombotic potential (ATT), stearic acid (C18:0), SFA and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) proportions. German lambs were located between Spanish lambs and the other types. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]