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International audience; For decades, research has focused on predicting beef palatability using muscle biochemical traits and various bio-markers. In these approaches, a precise definition of the variable to predict (tenderness assessed by panelists, untrained consumers , or shear force) and repeatability of the measurements are crucial for creating significant data resources for the derivation of robust predictive models, as well as rigorous validation testing. This "big data" approach as well as the rapid evolution of new measurement technologies require careful definition of traits and transparent principles for data sharing and management. In this context, AgroPortal is a common platform to receive and host existing description systems, such as Animal Trait Ontology for Livestock. Furthermore, as in other fields, meat science researchers should improve the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability of data (known as the FAIR Data Principles). For beef, strategic choices have been made in order to consider real consumers' expectations, not well estimated correctly by lab approaches. Thus, Australia set up the Meat Standards Australia grading scheme based on beef assessment by untrained consumers. The ambitions of the International Meat Research 3G Foundation is to develop beef ontology, to set up an international database with a large number of consumers' scores related to beef palatability and collected according to standard protocols of the Meat Standards Australia methodology. The Foundation also aims to support the beef industry by offering an international predictive model of beef palatability, flexible enough to take into account any local livestock characteristics or regional consumer specificity. This approach is supported by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, which promotes development of regulations and norms, technical cooperation, and exchange of best expertise and practices. This will substantially improve the transparency of data flow and price signaling between all participants of the value chain, from beef producers through to consumers at retail.

International audience; Marbling is one of the primary carcass attributes utilized in most beef grading systems for eating quality evaluation. In Europe, the current beef grading system is the EUROP grid, which is focused on carcass commercial value and production yield rather than eating quality estimation. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between marbling and the most common scores for carcass classification in Europe. If there are strong associations between marbling and European classification scores, marbling score may be estimated from the carcass characteristics. However, this study indicated that European classification scores explain only a slight proportion of the variance in marbling score (32%, 46%, 34% and 21% for the entire cattle group, young bulls, females and steers, respectively). Therefore, whereas the EUROP grid is well adapted to estimate yield, it does not reflect marbling at all. The European beef industry should take into account additional indicators related to beef palatability to assist the determination of the commercial value of carcasses.

This study evaluated the contributions of sensory traits to overall liking in Europe. Perceptions by untrained consumers of tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking and overall liking were determined using the Meat Standards Australia protocols. According to European consumer testing with European beef samples, flavor liking was the most important contributor (39%) to beef overall liking, followed by tenderness (31%) and juiciness (24%) (P0.94). The improvement in tenderness over the last decades may explain the highest contribution of flavor liking nowadays. Flavor liking is therefore the main driver of variability in overall liking. Juiciness is the least robust trait which could be influenced by other traits during consumer perception. For outstanding steaks, each sensory trait should have excellent scores and high contributions to overall liking. For medium cuts, one sensory trait with a low score has the potential to be compensated by other traits with higher scores and more emphasis will be placed on the trait with the lowest perception.

In Poland, meat is sold mostly in unpackaged form. However, due to the changing needs of the clients who look for convenience, packaged beef is gaining popularity. Consumers become more interested in the information placed on the packaging. According to the research, the consumers are willing to read information concerning the quality class of the meat, as well as the price. Moreover, the clients pay attention to the quality labels and potential influence of the beef consumption on their health.

International audience; Delivering beef of consistent quality to the consumer is vital for consumer satisfaction and will help to ensure demand and therefore profitability within the beef industry. In Australia, this is being tackled with Meat Standards Australia (MSA), which uses carcass traits and processing factors to deliver an individual eating quality guarantee to the consumer for 135 different 'cut by cooking methods' from each carcass. The carcass traits used in the MSA model, such as ossification score, carcass weight and marbling explain the majority of the differences between breeds and sexes. Therefore, it was expected that the model would predict with eating quality of bulls and dairy breeds with good accuracy. In total, 8128 muscle samples from 482 carcasses from France, Poland, Ireland and Northern Ireland were MSA graded at slaughter then evaluated for tenderness, juiciness, flavour liking and overall liking by untrained consumers, according to MSA protocols. The scores were weighted (0.3, 0.1, 0.3, 0.3) and combined to form a global eating quality (meat quality (MQ4)) score. The carcasses were grouped into one of the three breed categories: beef breeds, dairy breeds and crosses. The difference between the actual and the MSA-predicted MQ4 scores were analysed using a linear mixed effects model including fixed effects for carcass hang method, cook type, muscle type, sex, country, breed category and postmortem ageing period, and random terms for animal identification, consumer country and kill group. Bulls had lower MQ4 scores than steers and females and were predicted less accurately by the MSA model. Beef breeds had lower eating quality scores than dairy breeds and crosses for five out of the 16 muscles tested. Beef breeds were also over predicted in comparison with the cross and dairy breeds for six out of the 16 muscles tested. Therefore, even after accounting for differences in carcass traits, bulls still differ in eating quality when compared with females and steers. Breed also influenced eating quality beyond differences in carcass traits. However, in this case, it was only for certain muscles. This should be taken into account when estimating the eating quality of meat. In addition, the coefficients used by the Australian MSA model for some muscles, marbling score and ultimate pH do not exactly reflect the influence of these factors on eating quality in this data set, and if this system was to be applied to Europe then the coefficients for these muscles and covariates would need further investigation.

The Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading scheme has the ability to predict beef eating quality for each ‘cut×cooking method combination’ from animal and carcass traits such as sex, age, breed, marbling, hot carcass weight and fatness, ageing time, etc. Following MSA testing protocols, a total of 22 different muscles, cooked by four different cooking methods and to three different degrees of doneness, were tasted by over 19 000 consumers from Northern Ireland, Poland, Ireland, France and Australia. Consumers scored the sensory characteristics (tenderness, flavor liking, juiciness and overall liking) and then allocated samples to one of four quality grades: unsatisfactory, good-every-day, better-than-every-day and premium. We observed that 26% of the beef was unsatisfactory. As previously reported, 68% of samples were allocated to the correct quality grades using the MSA grading scheme. Furthermore, only 7% of the beef unsatisfactory to consumers was misclassified as acceptable. Overall, we concluded that an MSA-like grading scheme could be used to predict beef eating quality and hence underpin commercial brands or labels in a number of European countries, and possibly the whole of Europe. In addition, such an eating quality guarantee system may allow the implementation of an MSA genetic index to improve eating quality through genetics as well as through management. Finally, such an eating quality guarantee system is likely to generate economic benefits to be shared along the beef supply chain from farmers to retailors, as consumers are willing to pay more for a better quality product.

The aim of the study was to analyze the factors creating consumer attributes of roasted beef steaks of various animals. Eight cuts from 30 carcasses (characterized by various types of animal, conformation and fat class, rib fat thickness, ossification score) were selected. Samples were prepared using the roasting method and consumers rated the tenderness, juiciness, flavor, overall acceptability (rated in a 100-point scale), and satisfaction (rated from 2 to 5) for analyzed samples. No influence of type of animal, fat class, conformation class or ossification score on the results of consumer analysis was observed. For all analyzed factors, the influence of cut on consumer analysis was observed (the highest values of all consumer attributes were observed for tenderloin - for juiciness significantly higher than for other cuts, for tenderness, flavor and MQ4 comparable only with rump (RMP231), while for overall acceptability and satisfaction - with both rump cuts). For rib fat thickness consumer attributes of roasted beef meat were not linear, but the influence was observed - the highest values of consumer attributes were observed for 13 mm rib fat thickness.

The beef industry must become more responsive to the changing market place and consumer demands. An essential part of this is quantifying a consumer's perception of the eating quality of beef and their willingness to pay for that quality, across a broad range of demographics. Over 19 000 consumers from Northern Ireland, Poland, Ireland and France each tasted seven beef samples and scored them for tenderness, juiciness, flavour liking and overall liking. These scores were weighted and combined to create a fifth score, termed the Meat Quality 4 score (MQ4) (0.3×tenderness, 0.1×juiciness, 0.3×flavour liking and 0.3×overall liking). They also allocated the beef samples into one of four quality grades that best described the sample; unsatisfactory, good-every-day, better-than-every-day or premium. After the completion of the tasting panel, consumers were then asked to detail, in their own currency, their willingness to pay for these four categories which was subsequently converted to a proportion relative to the good-every-day category (P-WTP). Consumers also answered a short demographic questionnaire. The four sensory scores, the MQ4 score and the P-WTP were analysed separately, as dependant variables in linear mixed effects models. The answers from the demographic questionnaire were included in the model as fixed effects. Overall, there were only small differences in consumer scores and P-WTP between demographic groups. Consumers who preferred their beef cooked medium or well-done scored beef higher, except in Poland, where the opposite trend was found. This may be because Polish consumers were more likely to prefer their beef cooked well-done, but samples were cooked medium for this group. There was a small positive relationship with the importance of beef in the diet, increasing sensory scores by about 4% in Poland and Northern Ireland. Men also scored beef about 2% higher than women for most sensory scores in most countries. In most countries, consumers were willing to pay between 150 and 200% more for premium beef, and there was a 50% penalty in value for unsatisfactory beef. After quality grade, by far the greatest influence on P-WTP was country of origin. Consumer age also had a small negative relationship with P-WTP. The results indicate that a single quality score could reliably describe the eating quality experienced by all consumers. In addition, if reliable quality information is delivered to consumers they will pay more for better quality beef, which would add value to the beef industry and encourage improvements in quality.

International audience; Quantifying consumer responses to beef across a broad range of demographics, nationalities and cooking methods is vitally important for any system evaluating beef eating quality. On the basis of previous work, it was expected that consumer scores would be highly accurate in determining quality grades for beef, thereby providing evidence that such a technique could be used to form the basis of and eating quality grading system for beef. Following the Australian MSA (Meat Standards Australia) testing protocols, over 19 000 consumers from Northern Ireland, Poland, Ireland, France and Australia tasted cooked beef samples, then allocated them to a quality grade; unsatisfactory, good-every-day, better-than-every-day and premium. The consumers also scored beef samples for tenderness, juiciness, flavour-liking and overall-liking. The beef was sourced from all countries involved in the study and cooked by four different cooking methods and to three different degrees of doneness, with each experimental group in the study consisting of a single cooking doneness within a cooking method for each country. For each experimental group, and for the data set as a whole, a linear discriminant function was calculated, using the four sensory scores which were used to predict the quality grade. This process was repeated using two conglomerate scores which are derived from weighting and combining the consumer sensory scores for tenderness, juiciness,flavour-liking and overall-liking, the original meat quality 4 score (oMQ4) (0.4, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) and current meat quality 4 score (cMQ4) (0.3, 0.1, 0.3, 0.3). From the results of these analyses, the optimal weightings of the sensory scores to generate an ideal meat quality 4 score (MQ4) ’ for each country were calculated, and the MQ4 values that reflected the boundaries between the four quality grades were determined. The oMQ4 weightings were far more accurate in categorising European meat samples than the cMQ4 weightings, highlighting that tenderness is more important than flavour to the consumer when determining quality. The accuracy of the discriminant analysis to predict the consumer scored quality grades was similar across all consumer groups, 68%, and similar to previously reported values. These results demonstrate that this technique, as used in the MSA system, could be used to predict consumer assessment of beef eating quality and therefore to underpin a commercial eating quality guarantee for all European consumers.

The main aim of this study was to identify market segments based on consumers' usage of information sources about beef and to investigate whether the use of information sources was associated with the type of information consumers were searching for, factors guiding their decision processes to buy beef and motives related to beef consumption. Data were collected in 2014 through a self-administered survey of 501 regular beef consumers. Three distinct clusters were identified: Enthusiast (38.5%), Conservative (43.1%) and Ultra Conservative (18.4%). This study revealed that culinary and personal sources of information on beef were the most frequently used. Taste, perceived healthiness and suitability to prepare many dishes were reported as primary motives to eat beef. These results show that communication channels such as culinary programs and opportunities provided by the development of labelling systems to guarantee beef quality should be considered when developing policies and strategies to increase beef consumption in Poland.

Ossification score and animal age are both used as proxies for maturity-related collagen crosslinking and consequently decreases in beef tenderness. Ossification score is strongly influenced by the hormonal status of the animal and may therefore better reflect physiological maturity and consequently eating quality. As part of a broader cross-European study, local consumers scored 18 different muscle types cooked in three ways from 482 carcasses with ages ranging from 590 to 6135 days and ossification scores ranging from 110 to 590. The data were studied across three different maturity ranges; the complete range of maturities, a lesser range and a more mature range. The lesser maturity group consisted of carcasses having either an ossification score of 200 or less or an age of 987 days or less with the remainder in the greater maturity group. The three different maturity ranges were analysed separately with a linear mixed effects model. Across all the data, and for the greater maturity group, animal age had a greater magnitude of effect on eating quality than ossification score. This is likely due to a loss of sensitivity in mature carcasses where ossification approached and even reached the maximum value. In contrast, age had no relationship with eating quality for the lesser maturity group, leaving ossification score as the more appropriate measure. Therefore ossification score is more appropriate for most commercial beef carcasses, however it is inadequate for carcasses with greater maturity such as cull cows. Both measures may therefore be required in models to predict eating quality over populations with a wide range in maturity.

The aim of the study was to analyze the factors creating consumer attributes of roasted beef steaks of various animals. Eight cuts from 30 carcasses (characterized by various types of animal, conformation and fat class, rib fat thickness, ossification score) were selected. Samples were prepared using the roasting method and consumers rated the tenderness, juiciness, flavor, overall acceptability (rated in a 100-point scale), and satisfaction (rated from 2 to 5) for analyzed samples. No influence of type of animal, fat class, conformation class or ossification score on the results of consumer analysis was observed. For all analyzed factors, the influence of cut on consumer analysis was observed (the highest values of all consumer attributes were observed for tenderloin - for juiciness significantly higher than for other cuts, for tenderness, flavor and MQ4 comparable only with rump (RMP231), while for overall acceptability and satisfaction - with both rump cuts). For rib fat thickness consumer attributes of roasted beef meat were not linear, but the influence was observed - the highest values of consumer attributes were observed for 13 mm rib fat thickness.

The consumption of beef in Poland decreased from 17 kg per capita in the late 1980s to 3.8 kg per capita in the early 2000s. This decline was much greater than in other European countries. This paper presents results of quantitative consumer research, carried out from December 2009 to February 2010, to identify consumer perceptions of beef, habits, culinary preferences and factors hampering its consumption. The survey was conducted on a sample of 3,195 respondents. The respondents stated that amongst the features which are decisive in the choice of a particular piece of beef are: colour, general appearance and fat content. Other important factors mentioned were: best before date and price. Consumers also mentioned factors referring to consumption. The most important were: sensory aspects (taste, juiciness), nutritional value and healthiness. Respondents also confirmed the fact that beef consumption decreased in their households but the number of responses indicating that fact and those indicating that consumption had not changed were very similar. The vast majority of consumers stated they did not eat beef because of its high price. Some respondents would consider commencing or resuming beef consumption on condition that price decreased. Other conditions for increased beef consumption are as follows: better taste and greater opportunities to buy it. It can be concluded that there is a great potential for beef market development in Poland. Future studies should investigate consumer concerns with regard to beef, as well as the producer, distributor and retailer roles in the beef supply chain.

We compute Connes-Stormer relative entropy H(M/N) for two subfactors M and N of a type II1 factor without assuming N ⊂ M. If they form a commuting square, then we have H(M/N) = H(M/M ∩ N). If their commutants form a commuting square, then we have H(M/N) = H(M ∨ N/N).

We show that for a triple KaN^M of type II j factors the depth of the inclusion "A"cAf' is not greater than the maximum of depths of the inclusions "A'cTV" and "N

We present an ontology called Science designed for representing scientific laws and rejected hypotheses from scientific papers and experimental results in the area of beef production and consumption. The ontology is designed on the basis of 1) classifications of scientific laws presented in the works of Polish philosophers of science and nature: K. Ajdukiewicz and W. Krajewski and 2) the analysis of empirical material from the project database of articles. Science imports OntoBeef ontology of the subject domain. Both ontologies, i.e. Science and OntoBeef, are based on DOLCE. It is shown how to represent scientific laws in the ontologies and how to generate new scientific laws from the old ones coded in the Science.