Physical and Sensory Properties of Restructured Beef Steaks Formulated with Various Flake Sizes and Mixing Times

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Abstract
Restructured cow beef steaks were made using six different flake size formulations: (a) coarse, (b) medium, (c) fine, (d) coarse + medium, (e) medium + fine and (f) coarse + fine meat flakes. Each formulation was mixed for 0, 5, 10 or 15 min, pressed into “logs”, frozen and cut into steaks. Steaks were evaluated for physical appearance, fat and moisture content, cooking properties, texture and sensory attributes. Steaks made from the coarse flakes had large fat particles and therefore received lower (P<0.05) ratings for physical appearance. Restructured steaks made from the fine particles were more tender (P<0.05) and received significantly higher (P<0.05) textural desirability and overall palatability ratings than restructured steaks made from coarse particles. A mixing time of 5 min resulted in higher scores (P<0.05) for juiciness and tenderness as compared to restructured steaks made from meat mixed for 15 min. Mixing time had no significant effect on cooking losses or binding strength.