Consumer acceptance and steak cutting yields of beef top sirloin and knuckle subprimals q D.A. King a, * , S.D. Shackelford a , T.L. Wheeler a , K.D. Pfeiffer b , J.M. Mehaffey c , M.F. Miller c , R. Nickelson b , M. Koohmaraie a,1 a USDA-ARS, US Meat Animal Research Center, P.O. Box 166/State Spur 18D, Clay Center, NE 68933, USA b Standard Meat Company, 5105 Investment Dr., Dallas, TX 75052, USA c Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University, P.O. Box 42141, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA article info Article history: Received 29 May 2009 Received in revised form 22 July 2009 Accepted 10 August 2009 Keywords: Beef Consumer acceptance Gluteus medius Rectus femoris Vastus lateralis Tenderness abstract Beef knuckles (n = 150) and center-cut top sirloin butts (n = 150) were used to determine portion-con- trolled steak cutting yields, palatability characteristics, and consumer acceptance of rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), and gluteus medius (GM) steaks. Steak yields were higher (P < 0.05) for top sirloins than knuckles. Trained sensory panel ratings for overall tenderness, juiciness, and flavor were similar between RF and GM. Consumer panel ratings for tenderness and juiciness were higher (P < 0.05) for GM than RF; however, consumer perceptions of overall like and flavor were similar for GM and RF. Vastus lateralis received lower (P < 0.05) trained panel and consumer ratings for all traits than either RF or GM. Palatability of VL will need improvement to be a viable foodservice offering. Yet, these data suggest that RF would amply substitute for GM in foodservice settings, and that knuckle steak yields would be ade- quate for foodservice applications. Published by Elsevier Ltd. 1. Introduction Rising beef prices have made it difficult for foodservice opera- tors to maintain profitable margins while continuing to meet cus- tomers’ price and palatability expectations. Therefore, foodservice operators are seeking cost effective alternatives to traditional steak cuts. Muscles used in this manner must possess sufficiently accept- able palatability characteristics to maintain customer satisfaction, and provide suitable yields in steak cutting operations to be profitable. Traditionally, foodservice steak offerings have been composed of steaks from muscles in the rib and loin regions of the carcass. Of these, the top sirloin (gluteus medius) steak has been marketed as the cost effective alternative. Unfortunately, the top sirloin has been associated with a lack of consistency with regard to tender- ness (Neely et al., 1998; Savell et al., 1999). Thus, the development of steak cuts from the round or chuck with equal, or greater palat- ability characteristics would benefit both the industry and consumers. Studies characterizing the properties of individual muscles have been conducted with the goal of improving utilization and value of muscles from the round and chuck, and the rectus femoris has been demonstrated to possess characteristics amenable to foodservice applications (Rhee, Wheeler, Shackelford, & Koohmaraie, 2004; Von Seggern, Calkins, Johnson, Brickler, & Gwartney, 2005). The rectus femoris is currently marketed as part of the quadriceps mus- cle group along with the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius. Studies have compared the tenderness of these mus- cles to the gluteus medius at 14 d postmortem, but little informa- tion is available regarding the tenderness of these muscles after the extended aging times generally used by purveyors. This study was planned to evaluate rectus femoris and vastus lateralis steaks for use in foodservice establishments as an alterna- tive to gluteus medius steaks. Specifically, this study was designed to: (1) characterize portion-controlled steak yields of intact rectus femoris and vastus lateralis muscles (from whole knuckles) in com- parison to the steak yields of gluteus medius (center-cut top sirloin butts); (2) determine the tenderization effect of extended aging periods in beef rectus femoris and vastus lateralis muscles relative to the top sirloin; and (3) appraise consumer acceptance of rectus femoris and vastus lateralis steaks relative to the gluteus medius steaks when presented in a foodservice setting. 0309-1740/$ - see front matter Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2009.08.021 q Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 402 762 4229; fax: +1 402 762 4149. E-mail address: andy.king@ars.usda.gov (D.A. King). 1 Present address: IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155, USA. Meat Science 83 (2009) 782–787 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Meat Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/meatsci