Meat and Muscle Biology (Nov 2023)

Untargeted Metabolomics for Beef Flavor Beyond Fat in Ground Beef With Different Lean Sources and Different Fat Content From a Common Fat Source

  • Chris Kerth,
  • Kayley R. Wall,
  • Rhonda K. Miller,
  • Steve B Smith,
  • Zena M Hicks

DOI
https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.16080
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1

Abstract

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To explore the effects of lean source on the flavor of ground beef patties, beef inside rounds (n=9) were procured from each of the following treatment groups: commodity upper two-thirds choice (HC; USDA modest and higher marbling), heart-healthy-branded (HEART), natural grass-fed (NATURAL), and commodity USDA Select (SELECT) beef. Rounds from each source were ground and supplemented with commercially sourced, pre-ground commodity fat trim to form treatment batches containing10% or 20% total fat. Batches were then fine-ground and formed into 113.5-g patties. Patties were vacuum packaged and frozen until analyzed. Trained sensory panel, fatty acid profile, volatile compound composition, and metabolomic features subsequently were analyzed. Lean source had no impact (P>0.05) on any major trained sensory traits, but patties with 20% fat had higher (P<0.05) fat-like, buttery, and juiciness scores. Patties made with HEART lean had the highest (P<0.05) monounsaturated fatty acids, and those from SELECT lean had the lowest. Those patties made with NATURAL lean and 20% fat tended (0.05<P<0.10) to have higher volatile concentrations of alcohol, aldehyde, ketones, and especially terpenoid compounds. Using discriminate analysis, metabolites (n=64 metabolites) from raw samples were accurately segregated by lean source only, while the cooked patties showed that the 138 metabolites were able to discriminate lean source for HC, HEART, and NATURAL within both 10% and 20% fat treatments. Patties made with SELECT lean clustered by themselves and generally had the opposite reaction to metabolite concentration as the other lean sources. Overall, while lean sources did not impact flavor, patties with different lean sources impacted the fatty acid content, volatile aroma compounds, and metabolite distribution in ground beef patties. Metabolomics may be another valuable tool to help describe meat quality, and it could be used to determine these traits in lean prior to sensory testing.

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