Dry versus wet aging of beef: Retail cutting yields and consumer palatability evaluations of steaks from US Choice and US Select short loins

Paired beef short loins from US Choice (n = 48) and US Select (n = 48) carcasses were assigned to be dry or wet aged for 14, 21, 28 or 35 d. After aging, short loins were processed to determine retail yields and processing times. Upon completion of cutting tests, steaks were served to consumers to assess palatability characteristics. Retail cutting tests showed that dry-aged short loins had reduced yields and increased cutting times when compared to wet-aged short loins. Consumers were unable to determine differences between dry- and wet-aged steaks and for aging periods; however, USDA quality grade had a significant impact on consumer perception of palatability attributes.