This study was designed to evaluate the sensory characteristics and consumer preference of dog meat foods as compared with beef ones. The sensory evaluation was conducted by a 10-member trained panel and 109 persons ranging in age from 23 to 59 years participated in the consumer research.
The results were summarized as follows:
1. The sensory characteristics.
1) In case of the meats boiled in water, it did not show any significant differences between dog and cow´s meat in color as well as off-flavor. On the contrary, the other characteristics such as odor, tenderness, juiciness and oiliness of dog meat were evaluated stronger than those of beef.
2) When the meats were cooked as Tang (a kind of soup), the dog meat did not show any significant differences from beef not only in color and off-flavor but also in odor.
2. The consumer preference.
1) It appeared that consumers somewhat preferred beef Tang to dog meat Tang. However, they rated dog meat Tang as the "neither liked nor disliked" food on an average.
2) Male consumers showed higher preference than female did for the dog meat Tang.
On the overall, dog meat foods are regarded to have some desirable sensory characteristics and can be acceptable to most people.
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