Impact of introducing specifications on the tenderness of retail meat.

Over a 3-year period (1997-1999), the shear force of 4371 retail beef, lamb and pork midloin samples collected from 363 retail outlets were tested using a MIRINZ tenderometer. Information about aging time, processor and retail chain was recorded. Consumers (n=2313) were also surveyed on their perception of the tenderness of beef and lamb midloin samples with known shear force. The results validated that shear force, as measured by the MIRINZ tenderometer, could be used to create instrumental tenderness categories which reflected consumer perceptions of tenderness. Over the 3-year sampling period, the shear force of beef and lamb decreased by 21.9 and 17.2%, respectively, and there was a consistent decrease in the number of 'tough' samples. The improvement in tenderness coincided with the introduction of a Quality Mark program in 1997 for beef and lamb and 3 years of implementation by auditing. The Quality Mark program sets specifications for the quality of retail meat in New Zealand and guidelines to achieve these specifications. In comparison to retail beef and lamb, the shear force of retail pork decreased marginally by 7.9%. Furthermore, the decrease in the number of 'tough' pork samples was not consistent over the testing period. Analysis of these data showed that for all three meats a considerable improvement in tenderness can be achieved by adopting a minimum post-slaughter aging time and optimizing the processing conditions.