Determination and evaluation of the parameters affecting the choice of veal meat of the "Ternera de Aliste" quality appellation

The aim of the present work was to determine and assess the parameters affecting the choice of veal under the "Ternera de Aliste" quality appellation. The parameters affecting the choice proved to be colour, taste, odour, hardness and juiciness. Using these parameters, sensory evaluation, both analytical (with trained judges, QDA) and affective (with consumers, the home-use test) was carried out on four veal types, and the relative preferences for the samples assessed. Colour, hardness and losses due to cooking were also analysed instrumentally. The results revealed that the methodology is important for discriminating small differences between samples. The same trend was observed for the results of the panel of judges, consumers, and instrumental analyses regarding both hardness and juiciness. Regarding the determinant parameters in the choice of veal, in raw meat consumers prefer light colours but when expressing their general relative preferences for samples, juiciness, taste and hardness of the cooked meat had the greatest weight.