Chemical, Physical, and Sensory Characterization of Ground Beef Containing 5 to 30 Percent Fat

ABSTRACT Ground beef patties containing 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30% fat were evaluated raw and after cooking to either 71 or 77°C. Cooking losses were lowest for 5–20% fat patties (24.7‐26.0%), intermediate for 25% fat patties (28.9%), and highest for 30% fat patties (32.1%). Low‐fat patties (5 and 10%) were firmer in texture, more crumbly at end‐of‐chewing, less juicy and flavorful, and caused less oily coating of the mouth than 20–30% fat patties. Warner‐Bratzler and Lee‐Kramer shear forces decreased as fat increased. Instron texture profile analysis also indicated greater peak forces, springiness, and cohesiveness for low‐fat patties. Cooking to 77 vs 71°C accentuated differences in palatability between low‐ and high‐fat patties.