Sensory, shear force and cooking properties of commercially processed ground beef patties

Ground beef patties (20% fat) were obtained from 26 processors who are major US suppliers of ground beef. Sensory, instrumental tenderness and cooking data were collected. Patties processed strictly from cow meat or from raw materials with greater amounts of connective tissue were less tender The use of muscle from young cattle (less than approximately 24 months of age) for patties produced higher scores for tenderness with less detectable connective tissue than patties made entirely from cow beef (more than approximately 24 months of age). Formulations consisting largely of trimmings obtained from bones with a mechanical trimmer received the highest tenderness scores. However, those patties received low ratings for beef flavor intensity due to the presence of a 'microbial-like' flavor. Thus, processors should insure that bones accumulated for mechanical separation of lean are subjected to strict quality control for condition.