The U.S. beef industry is constantly evolving, with producers striving for maximum efficiency and high product quality. Since 1991, the average beef hot carcass weight (abbreviated as HCW) has increased from approximately 760 pounds to just shy of 900 pounds in 2024. This large increase in HCW has created hurdles for the meat industry, as meat processors must modify equipment and practices designed to handle lighter carcasses. Additionally, branded beef programs, such as Certified Angus Beef, have increased the upper limit on HCW the programs can accept. While it is clear that increased HCWs are here to stay, little research has been done to determine if increased carcass weights impact steak palatability.
Research at South Dakota State University
South Dakota State University recently published a research article titled Influence of Beef Hot Carcass Weight on Sensory Characteristics of Strip Loin, Eye of Round, and Denver Cut Steaks in the open access journal Foods. This article evaluates the impact of HCW and product aging (the time between animal harvest and consumption) on steak palatability. This article will summarize the impact HCW had on sensory characteristics.
METHODS USED
Beef carcasses at a commercial packing plant with marbling scores of Slight (USDA Select) or Small (Low Choice) were categorized by HCW into one of three groups: Lightweight (650 to 750 pounds), Middleweight (850 to 950 pounds), and Heavyweight (1,025 to 1,155 pounds). These carcasses were tracked through the plant, and the research team collected strip loin (New York Strip steak), Eye of Round, and Denver Cut subprimals. Steaks were cut from each subprimal and used in a consumer sensory panel to evaluate the characteristics of overall liking, flavor liking, texture liking, toughness, juiciness, and off flavor. Liking ratings were rated on a 120-point scale with 0 meaning greatest imaginable disliking and 120 meaning greatest imaginable liking. Toughness, juiciness, and off flavor were evaluated on a 20-point scale with 0 meaning none and 20 meaning extremely intense for off flavor, extremely tough for toughness, and extremely juicy for juiciness.
FINDINGS
Hot carcass weight did not impact any sensory characteristics for Low Choice, Denver Cut steaks. However, scores for overall liking, texture liking, and juiciness were lower, and juiciness was increased, for Lightweight Select Denver Cut steaks compared to Middleweight Select Denver Cut steaks. Minimal differences were seen among weight groups for Select New York Strip (abbreviated as NYS) steaks, but Low Choice NYS steaks from Lightweight carcasses had decreased flavor liking and increased toughness scores compared to Middleweight carcasses.
The most differences were observed in Low Choice Eye of Round (abbreviated as EOR) steaks, where Lightweight steaks had decreased overall liking, flavor liking, and texture liking as well as decreased juiciness and increased toughness compared to Middleweight carcasses. The increase in toughness was also mirrored in Select EOR steaks.
| Attribute | Lightweight | Middleweight | Heavyweight | SEM1 | P-value2 |
| Select Denver Cut | |||||
| Overall liking | 70.2b | 73.4a | 73.2a | 1.3 | 0.02 |
| Texture liking | 67.8b | 72.6a | 70.5ab | 1.49 | <0.01 |
| Toughness | 9.8a | 8.5b | 8.8b | 0.31 | <0.0001 |
| Juiciness | 8.4c | 9.5b | 10.3a | 0.31 | <0.0001 |
| Choice NYS | |||||
| Flavor liking | 70.3b | 73.6a | 71.8ab | 1.23 | 0.03 |
| Toughness | 8.6a | 7.5b | 8.5a | 0.35 | <0.01 |
| Select NYS | |||||
| Toughness | 9.2a | 7.9b | 8.7a | 0.31 | <0.001 |
| Choice EOR | |||||
| Overall liking | 65.6b | 70.2a | 67.4 ab | 1.32 | <0.01 |
| Flavor liking | 67.4b | 70.5 a | 68.0 ab | 1.30 | 0.04 |
| Texture liking | 62.9b | 68.8 a | 66.2 ab | 1.45 | <0.001 |
| Juiciness | 6.9b | 8.3 a | 7.8 a | 0.31 | <0.0001 |
| Toughness | 10.6a | 8.9 b | 9.0 b | 0.34 | <0.0001 |
| Select EOR | |||||
| Toughness | 10.6 a | 9.7 b | 10.4 ab | 0.31 | 0.02 |
1 Standard error of the mean
2 Probability of difference among least square means
abc Within a row, least square means without a common superscript differ (P < 0.05)
Conclusion
These data suggest that HCW differentially impacts steak palatability. New York Strip steaks were less impacted by HCW than Denver Cut or Eye of Round steaks. Select Denver Cut steaks were more impacted than Low Choice steaks, and Low Choice Eye of Round steaks were more impacted than Select steaks. Overall, it appears that when sensory characteristics were impacted, steaks from Lightweight carcasses had less desirable traits compared to steaks from Middleweight carcasses, and few differences were observed between Middleweight and Heavyweight carcasses.
