The role of product familiarity and consumer involvement on liking and perceptions of fresh meat

The objective of this work was to compare consumer’s liking and perception of meat quality attributes as a function of their familiarity and involvement with fresh meat.Ninety-three meat consumers were classified on the basis of their familiarity with fresh meats. Socio-demographic differences between the clusters were found to relate to gender and age, and high familiarity (HF) consumers showed higher involvement with meat. HF consumers enjoyed consuming meat, and they associated a symbolic value to it. In addition, their liking ratings were higher than those of low familiarity (LF) consumers for both appearance and taste of three specific types of fresh meat over the course of product shelf-life. The perceived risks associated with meat consumption and product choice were similar between groups. Both consumer segments reported that the most important driver of fresh meat purchase is its appearance, while the role of extrinsic cues differed among the groups. The HF group needed more information when choosing meat. Regardless of familiarity level, liking was consistent with beef appearance as affected by storage, but the prediction of experienced sensory quality lacked consistency when the perceived intrinsic cue variation was not associated with meat freshness.     

Sensory aspects of consumer choices for meat and meat products

The topics discussed in this paper are the changing demand for meat and the factors that influence this demand. These factors include increased health concerns, change in demographics, the need for convenience, changes in the distribution of meat, and price. Finally, the paper covers the meat industry's need for understanding the consumer and the measurement methods used to assess consumer preferences.     

鲜肉及肉制品包装新技术

鲜肉和肉制品含有丰富的营养物质,很容易受到腐败菌和致病菌的感染。包装可使其处于良好的卫生条件之下,避免干耗和重量损失,并保证肉的正常颜色。综述了目前国内外常用的肉包装形式,主要包括真空包装、静态气调包装和动态气调包装、抗菌包装、纳米包装等。     

鲜肉非冷藏保鲜液配方的研制

研制了鲜肉非冷藏保鲜的配方 ,探讨了配方中各组分对肉中微生物抑制作用的主次因素 ,鲜肉保鲜试验证明 ,该保鲜液配方对肉具有明显的保鲜作用。     

新鲜肉类的辐照加工技术

食品辐照是一种较为先进的食品保鲜贮存技术,通过减少或清除肉类食品中的传染性病菌,能提高新鲜肉类的食用安全性;同时,延长了肉类食品的保鲜期。经实验证明,辐照加工不会对鲜肉原有的质量产生不良影响。     

A fresh look at meat flavor

Hundreds of compounds contribute to the flavor and aroma of meat. Complex interactions between various compounds influence the perception of meat flavor. Inherent flavor of a meat product can be influenced by oxidation, lipid content, feeding/diet, myoglobin, and pH. Diet plays an important role in both ruminants and nonruminants. New research reveals important relationships in flavor among multiple muscles within a single animal carcass. This animal effect includes the presence of off-flavors. Diets high in polyunsaturated fatty acids may be contributing to the appearance of off-flavors in beef. Compounds associated with liver-like off-flavor notes in beef have been identified in raw tissue.     

A modified hot processing strategy for beef: effects on fresh meat quality

A modified hot processing (MHP) strategy for beef carcasses using known chilling technology to maintain quality in the higher priced cuts while retaining lower value cuts for further, immediate hot processing was evaluated. Following high voltage electrical stimulation, paired sides from 36 carcasses were either conventionally processed (CP) or reduced in a manner similar to the French pan traité cut. The sides were help in a pre-chiller for 1 h prior to blast chilling at −20°C for 3 h at an air speed of 2·3 m s⁻¹, followed by chilling at 2°C for the remainder of the 24 h period. Overall, MHP of beef carcass sides had minimal effects on fresh meat quality in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and the semimembranosus (SM) muscles despite removing over 50% of the carcass side weight in the form of lower value cuts. Sarcomere length was significantly shorter (P ≤ 0·05) in the anterior (AL) and posterior (PL) LTL which was attributed to the removal of skeletal restraint and carcass weight. The increase in shear value in the AL, location of MHP sides although statistically significant (P ≤ 0·05) would not likely be percieved by consumers. Hence a non-traditional method of processing carcasses by treating low value and high value primal cuts separately, may be viable.     

Muslim consumer trust in halal meat status and control in Belgium

This paper focuses on public trust of Belgian Muslims in information sources of halal meat and their confidence in key actors and institutions for monitoring and controlling the halal meat chain. Cross-sectional consumer data were collected through a survey with 367 Muslims during the summer of 2006 in Belgium. Findings reveal that Islamic institutions and especially the Islamic butcher receive in general most confidence for monitoring and controlling the halal status of meat, and for communicating about halal meat. However, based on Muslims' confidence, four distinct market segments were identified: indifferent (29.1%), concerned (9.7%), confident (33.1%) and Islamic idealist (26.7%). These segments differ significantly with respect to trust in information sources and institutions, health and safety perception of halal meat, perceived halal meat consumption barriers, behavioural variables (halal meat consumption frequency and place of purchase), and socio-cultural (acculturation and self-identity) and individual characteristics. Indifferent consumers are rather undecided about who should monitor the halal status of meat, and they are most open to purchasing halal meat in the supermarket. Concerned Muslim consumers display higher confidence in Belgian than in Islamic institutions, which associates with perceiving a lack of information, poor hygiene and safety concern as barriers to purchasing halal meat. Confident consumers display a clear preference for Islamic institutions to monitor and communicate about halal. Islamic idealists, who are typified by younger age, second generation and high Muslim self-identity, differ from the confident consumers through their very low confidence in local Belgian sources and institutions.     

Game and venison - meat for the modern consumer

This review focuses on how game meat from southern Africa and venison that are increasingly being imported into Europe and the US addresses consumer issues as pertaining to production (wild, free range or intensive production) and harvesting methods, healthiness (chemical composition, particularly fatty acid composition), and traceability. Although African game meat species are farmed extensively, deer species are farmed using extensive to intensive production systems. However, the increasingly intensive production of the cervids and the accompanying practices associated with this (castration, velvetting, feeding of balanced diets, etc.) may have a negative impact in the near future on the consumer's perception of these animals. These alternative meat species are all harvested in a sustainable manner using acceptable methods. All these species have very low muscle fat contents consisting predominantly of structural lipid components (phospholipid and cholesterol) that have high proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This results in the meat having desirable polyunsaturated:saturated and n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratios. The South African traceability system is discussed briefly as an example on how these exporting countries are able to address the requirements pertaining to the import of meat as stipulated by the European Economic Community.     

生鲜肉气调包装工业化生产的常见问题

气调包装是一种先进的鲜肉保存方法,在国外已经得到广泛应用,在我国的推广应用尚刚属起步阶段.结合国内各方面的研究进展和工厂生产的实际经验,介绍生产过程中应注意的一些常见问题.     

Information,attitudes, and consumer evaluations of cultivated meat

Fast-moving developments for cultivated meat make it crucial to wrestle with prospective challenges and thereby lay the groundwork for a viable commercial market. Despite ample attention to issues of naming and regulation, the effect of information provision on consumer attitudes and evaluations has received less interest, even as claims (positive and negative) about cultivated meat increase in scope and complexity. Accordingly, we employed a 2x2 experimental design with information treatments varying by valence and complexity to explore if information provision influenced purchasing evaluations by way of attitudes. Using a sample of 617 German consumers, we found that whether information accentuated the risks or benefits of cultivated meat had a fundamental impact on explicit attitudes and purchasing evaluations, but not implicit attitudes. The role of complexity was however more nuanced, with an impact only on explicit attitudes and when risks were accentuated. Moreover, using mediation analysis, we revealed that implicit and explicit attitudes serially mediated the relationship between information provision and purchasing evaluations, thereby affecting the overall effectiveness of information. In sum, the findings underscore the importance of implicit and explicit attitudes (as well as food technology neophobia and prior knowledge) for evaluation processes of consumers, along with how disentangling the respective effects of valence and complexity of information enables the development of more effective and tailored messaging approaches.     

Extrusion parameters and consumer acceptability of a peanut-based meat analogue

Despite its high protein content and low cost, defatted peanut flour (DPF) remains underutilised in human foods. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine the best extrusion parameters for a peanut-based textured meat analogue (TMA); (2) develop new TMA products from DPF and (3) evaluate their consumer acceptability. Preliminary runs using a wide range of extrusion parameters were conducted. A central composite RSM design was used to determine the optimal extrusion conditions within the best ranges revealed by the preliminary runs. Three levels of moisture, screw-speed and barrel temperature were used in 31 runs. Expansion ratio, bulk density, texture profile, water absorption/solubility indexes of the extrudates were determined and used as indicators of product quality. Peanut-based TMAs produced at optimal extrusion conditions were flavoured with beef flavour and evaluated by a 60-member sensory panel for flavour, texture, and overall liking, using a 9-point hedonic scale. Optimisation studies revealed that the most important extrusion conditions are in descending order: protein content, temperature, moisture and screw-speed. Extrusion conditions that produced the best TMA were 60–65% protein, 50–55% moisture, 160–165 °C and 80–90 r.p.m. Sensory acceptability of snacks incorporating peanut-based TMAs was similar or better than those containing soya-based TMAs in terms of flavour, texture, off-flavour and overall liking. TMA produced from inexpensive DPF has the potential to compete with commercial meat analogues, thereby adding value to the peanut industry.     

冷鲜肉的保鲜技术研究进展

综述了冷却肉保鲜技术的机理和特点,介绍了几种主要的冷却肉保鲜方法,为冷却肉保鲜技术的研究开发提供了理论基础。     

水分对生鲜肉品品质的影响

水分作为肉品原料中含量最多的化学组分,直接影响着肉品品质及贮藏特性。本文介绍了水分在生鲜肉中结合状态、水分在肉品贮藏过程中的流失过程以及水分活度对肉品贮藏的影响,并对肉品中水分的检测方法进行了综述。为快速检测肉品中水分、有效减少肉品贮藏过程中的水分散失、开发合理的生鲜肉品保鲜技术提供理论参考。      

DEHA-plasticized PVC for retail packaging of fresh meat

 A selection of frequently consumed meat products were packed in two commercial types of plasticized PVC film with declared plasticizer compositions of 11 and 21% di-(ethylhexyl)adipate (DEHA), respectively. The meat products were analysed for DEHA after packaging and storage until their “use by” date. Pretreatment of the meat, including cutting, chopping, cooking and packaging, was performed according to normal practice in a Danish supermarket. All samples contained DEHA. In general the investigation showed that a high fat content in or at the surface of the meat and/or a high storage temperature and/or repeated repackaging with new film during treatment gave rise to the greatest amount of DEHA migration from the film into the meat. No significant differences in DEHA migration could be seen when comparing the two films, although they were quite different in terms of plasticizer composition. The DEHA concentration at the “use by” date in fresh lean trimmings and slices of pork leg was 1 – 2 mg/kg, whereas neck and strip loin with some fat at the surface contained about 5 – 10 mg/kg. More fatty types of meat such as minced beef and pork with 18 – 20% fat, packaged once in plasticized PVC, contained around 20 mg DEHA/kg. When previously packaged loin was cut into steaks or chops, repackaged, minced and repackaged again, the DEHA concentration doubled to around 40 mg/kg. Finally if meatballs were then produced from the said mince, repackaged and stored at 65°C for 24 h, the DEHA concentration reached 100 mg/kg. Based on the evaluations of DEHA given by the EU Scientific Committee for Food, the National Food Agency considers concentrations of DEHA in foods higher than 18 mg/kg to be unacceptable. Received: 24 June 1997