Proximate and fatty acid compositions and sensory acceptability of Hispanic consumers towards rib-eye steaks from forage-finished steers

Summary: Proximate and fatty acid compositions and sensory acceptability of rib-eye steaks (fresh and 6 months frozen-stored) from three forage-finished steers [S1 (bermudagrass + ryegrass, etc.); S2 (bermudagrass + ryegrass + berseem, etc.); S3 (bermudagrass+berseem+soybean+brown midrib sorghum, etc.)] and one commercial steak (C), cooked by one-sided and/or two-sided grilling, were evaluated. All forage-finished steaks had lower [omega-6/omega-3] ratios than C. Sensory liking was assessed by Hispanic consumers. Raw C steak had higher fat and lower protein contents than others (S1, S2 and S3). Concerning raw steaks, S3 had higher liking scores for overall appearance and fat appearance than others. Two cooking methods did not cause significant differences in sensory liking. Juiciness and overall liking of cooked C and S3 (one-sided grilling) steaks were not significantly different. Purchase intent (after knowing health benefits of forage-finished steaks) increased from 62.0-73.8% to 69.8-85.7%. Forage-finished steaks showed a potentially healthier lipid profile than grain-finished steaks and had market potential towards Hispanic population.