Abstract
This paper aims to compare and evaluate the quality of beef jerky made with Korean beef meat, Korean beef cattle and imported beef meat from Australia and New Zealand through sensory evaluation, measurement of hardness, thickness and contents of the moisture and crude lipid, and microscopic texture observation (SEM). According to the sensory evaluation, beef jerky made with Korean beef meat recorded the highest score in overall acceptability; New Zealand beef meat, the lowest. The preference of beef jerky made with Korean beef meat was shown in the appearance, smell, and texture, and especially in the taste. Whereas Korean beef jerky scored highest in color, glaze and palatability, New Zealand beef meat showed the lowest score. Korean beef meat showed the lowest in hardness, but New Zealand beef meat showed the highest as shown in the result of technical evaluation through rheometer. The evaluation through colormeter concluded that New Zealand beef meat had the highest scores in L and a values, but that Korean beef meat showed the lowest score. When it comes to the color difference compared with Korean beef meat, New Zealand beef meat showed the biggest difference. Although the moisture contents of jerky made with different beef meat showed little difference, the content of the crude lipid of jerky made with Korean beef meat and Australian beef meat was lower than that of Korean beef cattle and New Zealand beef meat. When the beef jerky is dry, fat contained in the beef meat is dissolved, which causes the glaze on the outside. Scanning electron micrographs showed that Korean and Australian beef jerky had larger gaps than Korean beef cattle and New Zealand beef jerky. It was concluded that this affected the hardness of beef jerky.
