Palatability characteristics

Pal a tab iii ty Charactcristics

Beef palatability dcpcnds on such qualities as tendcrncss, flavor, and color. Tcndcrness and flavor are ultimately evaluated in the cooked state, while color is an important factor at the time of purchase. Studies have shown that tenderness is by far the most important palatability character-istic in the acceptance of primal cuts of beef and it appears to be sought at the expense of flavor.and color.

Tenderness.—There are several factors that in-■ fluence the tenderness of beef. The ante-mortem factors include genetic background, physiological aspects, and feeding practices. The post-mortem factors include the storage time and temperaturę after slaughter, the addition of tenderizing agents, and methods of cooking.

A wide rangę of tenderness occurs from brced to breed, from animal to animal, among muscles of any one animal, and even within a single muscle. Beef from young animals is usually morę tender than beef from old animals. Moderate amounts of finely and uniformly dispersed fat or marbling within the muscle are also associated with tenderness and are dependent to a large extent upon heritability. In generał, muscles containing the least connective tissue are morę tender.    _l