Scientia Agricultura Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (12): 2726-2739.doi: 10.3864/j.issn.0578-1752.2026.12.014

• FOOD SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of Differences in Fat Content and Distribution on Stewing Characteristics and Flavor Quality of Beef Brisket

ZHENG Jian1(), ZHANG ChangYan1(), XU Ying1, LIU LiBao1, PEI YiPing1, REN PeiFang2, DU JiaNuo1, ZHANG ChunHui1()   

  1. 1 Institute of Agro-Products Processing Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Comprehensive Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing 100193
    2 Shandong Hanon Scientific Instrument Co., Ltd., Dezhou 251500, Shandong
  • Received:2025-12-12 Accepted:2026-02-24 Online:2026-06-16 Published:2026-06-16
  • Contact: ZHANG ChunHui

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Abstract:

【Objective】This study aimed to investigate the changes in processing characteristics and flavor quality during stewing of Brahman, Simmental, and Angus beef brisket, which exhibited differences in fat content and distribution. The findings were intended to provide a theoretical basis for selecting raw materials and optimizing the processing of high-quality brisket dishes. 【Method】Using the industrialized dish “Small Pot Brisket” as a model, briskets from Brahman, Simmental, and Angus cattle, representing distinct fat content and distribution profiles, were selected as research subjects. Their basic composition was determined. After stewing in clear water and in sauce, respectively, pH, cooking loss, color, shear force, microstructure, thiobarbituric acid value, fatty acid composition, and volatile flavor compounds were measured, combined with sensory evaluation to analyze their processing characteristics and flavor quality. 【Result】Significant differences (P<0.05) were found in the fat content and distribution among the three brisket types. Simmental had the highest total fat content (21.97%), followed by Brahman, with Angus being the lowest. Compared with Brahman and Simmental, Angus had 5.83% and 8.13% lower intermuscular fat content, respectively, but its intramuscular fat content was the highest (11.83%), with the most uniform overall fat distribution. After sauce stewing, the cooking loss of Angus decreased significantly from 35.50% (plain water stewing) to 32.92% (P<0.05), and its shear force was the lowest among the three (35.98 N). Microstructural analysis revealed a looser muscle fiber network, indicating the best tenderness. GC-IMS analysis showed that Angus produced a greater variety and higher content of aldehydes, ketones, furans, and nitrogen/sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds. In sensory evaluation, Angus also received a significantly higher overall acceptability score (8.18 points) than the other two groups. In contrast, Simmental and Brahman showed higher cooking loss and shear force under both stewing methods, resulting in poorer tenderness. Their fatty acid composition differed significantly from that of Angus, leading to weaker flavor intensity and complexity. Furthermore, sauce stewing improved product quality to some extent, with the degree of improvement varying depending on the raw material's fat distribution and post-stewing tissue structure. 【Conclusion】Uniform fat distribution was a key factor contributing to the significant advantages of Angus in processing adaptability, texture, and flavor quality. Considering all indicators, Angus was the most suitable for industrial production of seasoned sauce stewing dishes (such as pre-packaged “Small Pot Brisket”), as it effectively ensured standardized, high-quality product yield, tenderness, and flavor.

Key words: beef brisket, fat distribution, processing characteristics, microstructure, flavor formation

Fig. 1

Fat distribution diagrams of raw meat from three types of beef brisket"

Table 1

Significance analysis of the basic composition of three types of beef brisket"

牛腩种类
Types of beef brisket		 水分含量
Moisture content
(%)		 蛋白质含量
Protein content
(%)		 总脂肪含量
Fat content
(%)		 肌内脂肪含量
Intramuscular fat content (%)		 肌间脂肪含量
Intermuscular fat content (%)
婆罗门 Brahman 66.59±0.87b 10.66±0.89a 20.67±0.49b 9.24±0.13b 12.15±0.22b
西门塔尔 Simmental 68.80±0.81a 9.51±0.21b 21.97±0.32a 7.46±0.25c 14.45±0.26a
安格斯 Angus 63.47±1.88c 10.30±0.19a 18.25±1.14c 11.83±0.28a 6.32±0.09c

Table 2

The pH value changes of three types of beef brisket after being stewed in clear water and sauce"

加工方式
Processing method		 样品
Sample		 牛腩种类 Types of beef brisket
婆罗门 Brahman 西门塔尔 Simmental 安格斯 Angus
清水炖煮
Stewing in clear water		 汤汁 Soup
肉 Meat		 6.53±0.01bA 6.49±0.01cA 6.54±0.01aA
6.19±0.01cB 6.57±0.04aA 6.52±0.02bA
酱料炖煮
Stewing with sauce		 汤汁 Soup
肉 Meat		 6.06±0.03cB 6.26±0.01aB 6.13±0.01bB
6.23±0.01cA 6.47±0.02aB 6.38±0.02bB

Fig. 2

The cooking loss of three types of beef brisket after being stewed in clear water and sauce The content results of each component are expressed as “Mean±SD”. Different capital letters represent significant differences in the same type of samples processed by different methods (P<0.05), while different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (P<0.05) among different sample types under the same processing method. The same as below"

Table 3

The color changes of three types of beef brisket after being stewed in clear water and sauce"

色泽
Color		 加工方式
Processing method		 牛腩种类 Types of beef brisket
婆罗门 Brahman 西门塔尔 Simmental 安格斯 Angus
L* 生肉对照 Raw meat control group 47.43±0.34bA 49.89±0.77aA 46.69±1.25bB
清水炖煮 Stewing in clear water 38.51±0.31cB 51.67±1.70aA 48.00±1.45bB
酱料炖煮 Stewing with sauce 45.80±2.26bA 41.87±1.45cB 51.20±1.14aA
a* 生肉对照 Raw meat control group 3.20±0.33aB 2.19±0.40bC 2.80±0.16aB
清水炖煮 Stewing in clear water 5.62±0.19aA 4.40±0.72abB 3.86±0.77bB
酱料炖煮 Stewing with sauce 5.41±0.84bA 6.77±0.88abA 7.37±0.54aA
b* 生肉对照 Raw meat control group 15.29±0.13aC 16.17±0.67aB 15.61±0.40aB
清水炖煮 Stewing in clear water 18.65±0.25cA 26.32±1.93aA 20.83±1.36bA
酱料炖煮 Stewing with sauce 16.96±1.07aB 14.61±0.57bC 17.19±0.90aB

Fig. 3

The shear force changes of three types of beef brisket after being stewed in clear water and sauce"

Fig. 4

Scanning electron microscope images of three types of beef brisket after being stewed in clear water and sauce A-C show Brahman, Simmental and Angus beef brisket in clear water, respectively. D-F show Brahman, Simmental and Angus beef brisket with sauce, respectively"

Fig. 5

Transmission electron microscope images of three types of beef brisket after being stewed in clear water and sauce A-C show Brahman, Simmental and Angus beef brisket in clear water, respectively. D-F show Brahman, Simmental and Angus beef brisket with sauce, respectively"

Fig. 6

The malondialdehyde content of three types of beef brisket after being stewed in clear water and sauce"

Fig. 7

The free fatty acid composition of three types of beef brisket after being stewed in clear water and sauce"

Fig. 8

Fingerprint spectra of volatile compounds (A) and principal component analysis (B) of three types of beef brisket B1: Brahman raw meat; B2: Brahman stewing in clear water; B3: Brahman stewing with sauce; S1: Simmental raw meat; S2: Simmental stewing in clear water; S3: Simmental stewing with sauce; A1: Angus raw meat; A2: Angus stewing in clear water; A3: Angus stewing with sauce"

Fig. 9

The sensory evaluation results of three types of beef brisket after being stewed with the sauce"

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