Optimizing Sous Vide Cooking Temperature and Time for Beef Palatability

This study evaluated the effect of sous vide cooking at different temperatures and dwell times (1A: 56.1°C and 71 min; 1B: 56.1°C and 150 min; 1C: 56.1°C and 240 min; 2A: 61.7°C and 8 min; 2B: 61.7°C and 150 min; 2C: 61.7°C and 240 min) on palatability of beef biceps femoris. Beef biceps femoris ([USDA] Choice) was sliced into 1.6-cm thick steaks, and multiple steaks were vacuum packaged as 4.5 kg bags and randomly assigned to one of the 6 treatments with 16 packages (n = 16) per treatment. Cook loss during sous vide cooking was measured. Cooked steaks were used for internal cooked color measurement, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) evaluation, and trained sensory analysis. Data were analyzed using a complete randomized design in R. Cooking loss of samples increased as the temperature and dwell time combinations increased (P < 0.05). On the other hand, the internal redness of steaks decreased (P < 0.05) with increased temperature and dwell time. The 1C samples had numerically lower WBSF values and higher perceived tenderness scores (P < 0.05) than the 2A samples. These results indicate that beef biceps femoris steaks can be cooked under the conditions examined in this study with minimal impact on palatability, allowing processors to optimize sous vide cooking parameters.