Quality of Swiss Beef Confirmed by 2023 Survey

The results of the 2023 beef quality survey have been released. They show that the quality of Swiss meat overall is highly satisfactory, in terms of nutrition as well as technological and sensorial aspects.

In 2009, Agroscope set up a survey on the quality of beef on the Swiss market to contribute to the sustainability of the beef sector and the maintenance of product quality. Dubbed ‘Obstend’, a compound coinage from the French Observatoire de la tendreté [‘tenderness monitoring centre’], the main aim of this monitoring programme was to follow developments in the quality of beef of Swiss origin in order to prevent or detect promptly any problems occurring following changes in practice.

In 2023, in close collaboration with Proviande, Agroscope launched the fourth analysis campaign, which also included a sensorial analysis. The survey was based on samples of meat taken in three butchers’ in thirteen Swiss towns that were asked to provide sirloin steak, tenderloin, rump and rump cover.

Detailed results of 2023 survey

Analyses of the origin of the samples via DNA test revealed a match of 100 samples out of 116 (86%) with the reference database. This result can be explained by the partial coverage rate of 87.7% of the total number of cattle slaughtered in 2023, as stated in Proviande’s 2023 annual report. Consequently, the misuse of the Viande Suisse brand does not appear to be a major problem on the beef market.

The average aging period of all the samples was 37 ± 21 days, with 14% of the samples exceeding the aging threshold of 56 days. Based on Proviande’s experience, this threshold is considered a limit beyond which there is a very high likelihood of the meat having been frozen before sale.

The data on the chemical composition of the meat show that the sirloin steak and the rump share the highest protein concentrations, higher than those of the tenderloin and rump cover. The fatty-acid composition analysis indicates that the tenderloin and rump coverare the richest in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), followed by the rump and sirloin steak in that order. The tenderloin is richer saturated fatty acids than the rump, while the figures for the sirloin steak and the rump coverfall between the two.

Nearly all the analysed samples had an average instrumental tenderness value below the limit defining meat as very tender and ensuring a Swiss consumer satisfaction rate of over 90%.

For the first time, a sensorial analysis concerning the three parameters of ‘tenderness’, ‘juiciness’ and ‘overall flavour’ was conducted on all the samples in the survey. This analysis discloses the superiority of the tenderloin thanks to its better ‘tenderness’ rating. The rump cover shows an advantage in terms of juiciness, but its higher intramuscular fat and PUFA content, as with the tenderloin, make it more overtly prone to oxidation phenomena potentially affecting its flavour.