The colour and sensory characteristics of longissimus muscle from beef cattle that grazed grass or consumed concentrates prior to slaughter

BACKGROUND Grazed grass is an important component of the majority of beef production systems used in temperate climates. Compared to concentrate‐fed beef, ‘grass‐fed’ beef can command a premium in some markets based on perceived differences in appearance and sensory characteristics. The influence of grazed grass per se, as well as the duration of grazing, on selected sensory characteristics of beef within a heifer production system was examined. RESULTS In general, fat from grass‐fed cattle was more yellow than fat from similar cattle fed concentrates, whereas muscle from grass‐fed cattle was darker than muscle from cattle fed concentrates. At the same carcass weight, muscle from grass‐fed cattle had a lower fat concentration than cattle fed concentrates. In the most extreme situation examined, whereby early‐maturing heifers were fed concentrates ad libitum from weaning or grazed grass/conserved grass throughout life, until slaughtered at a similar carcass weight (260 kg) and differed in age by 5 months, beef was rated similarly for tenderness and a range of flavours by a trained sensory panel. CONCLUSION Within the range of beef heifer production systems examined, the sensory characteristics of grass‐fed beef do not differ greatly from concentrate‐fed beef. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.