title: Effect of fat content on sensory characteristics of marbled beef from Japanese Black steers.
abstract: To analyze the sensory characteristics of meat samples with a crude fat content between 23.8% and 48.6% taken from 34 Japanese Black steers, we grilled the meat and subjected it to analytical sensory evaluation. We also measured the amounts of moisture, protein, nucleic acid and glutamic acid. An increase in crude fat content increased the tenderness, juiciness, and fattiness in the meat quality evaluation. An increase in crude fat content reduced the crude protein and moisture contents; it also slightly reduced the nucleic acid and glutamic acid contents, although when the reductions in these umami components were assessed relative to the moisture content they changed little. Increasing the fat content up to a certain point greatly enhanced the umami intensity and beef flavor intensity in the meat quality evaluation and raised the overall evaluation score; the peak of the appropriate crude fat content for these purposes was about 36%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Japan Women's University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.affiliation: National Livestock Breeding Center, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saitou
authors.affiliation: National Livestock Breeding Center, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.affiliation: Taste and Food Preference Laboratory, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shizuko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishimura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005223:Fats / Q000032:analysis*; D063427:Food Quality; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D000069466:Red Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005223:Fats; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D011506:Proteins; D018698:Glutamic Acid
keywords: appropriate fat content; beef flavor; marbled beef; sensory characteristics; umami.