Ratite meat sensory scores compared with beef

Ostrich and emu meats offer consumers a low fat red meat alternative to beef. A descriptive scoring method was used to compare edibility characteristics of beef, emu and ostrich meats. The flavor and textures of grilled ostrich and emu meat were compared with top sirloin beef as fresh and over 6 months of frozen storage (0, 2, 4, 6 months) using the "Difference from Control Test". Liver-like/giblet flavors for ostrich were slightly, less and emu slightly more than beef Ostrich and emu filet juiciness were slightly higher than beef: Ground emu liver-like giblet flavor was enhanced by frozen storage. Grilled freshly ground ostrich was slightly less mealy, beefly, lardy, and liver-like, while scoring slightly more juicy than beef. Ground ostrich, from a processor, was much less like beef than laboratory prepared ground ostrich. Freshly ground emu was slightly less mealy and beefy, more juicy, and less lardy than beef. Frozen whole cuts maintained similar attributes throughout the 6 months of frozen storage.