Abstract

To dissert on the eating quality of Venezuelan bovine meats, 78 publications were reviewed. Most of the studies (n=67) refer to intrinsic (age, genetics, sex) and extrinsic factors (diet, castration, carcass grade and post mortem technologies) that can vary the eating quality. Consumers attach importance to tenderness; when tenderness is acceptable, the degree of consumer satisfaction is resolved by taste. It is consistent that there is a greater variation in tenderness and shear force than in favor and juiciness. The tenderness thresholds developed with Venezuelan meats allow them to be classifed in tender or tough classes, showing potential for quality control programs and carcass classifcation-grading schemes. Observational and experimental studies indicate tenderness disadvantages of bulls vs. steers /heifers. Breed types with strong Bos indicus infuence tend to produce less palatable meats than buffalo or Bos taurus crosses. More studies are needed on the effects of dental age or physiological maturity, of its interaction with gender, and of pasture supplementation diets on meat palatability. Markers of calpain and calpastatin genes are useful for selection purposes in dual-purpose and beef cattle. Various post mortem technologies can mitigate palatability problems of Venezuelan meats. Information gaps are identifed, and research is proposed to identify and resolve meat palatability problems.