Tenderness, flavor, and yield assessments of dry-aged beef

Top Choice (n = 48) and Select (n = 48) paired bone-in ribeye rolls, bone-in strip loins, and boneless top sirloin butts were assigned randomly to one of two aging treatments (dry or wet) and aged 14, 21, 28 or 35 days. Sensory and Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) evaluation was conducted to determine palatability characteristics. WBS values and consumer ratings showed wet-aged ribeye steaks to be more tender than their dry-aged counterparts. WBS values for ribeye and top sirloin steaks decreased with increased aging time. Consumer ratings for tenderness like increased with increased aging time for beef steaks from all three subprimals. No significant differences were found for consumer evaluation of top sirloin steaks. Top Choice ribeye and top loin steaks received higher consumer ratings for overall like and juiciness attributes when compared to Select steaks. Cutting tests were performed at the end of each aging period to determine retail yields and processing times. Retail cutting tests showed dry-aged subprimals had lower total saleable yield percentages and increased processing times compared to wet-aged subprimals. Cooler shrink and gross cut loss percentages increased with increased aging time for both Top Choice and Select subprimals.