The effects of thermal processing of beef for institutional food service purposes

Beef is sometimes referred to as the “meat of the rich”, and there is some historical justification for this. Beef consumption can to some extent be considered an indicator of the purchasing power of the population. Since 1995, beef consumption in Europe has slumped by approximately 11%. Another significant fall of around 5% was caused by the BSE scare. Its impact was not, however, as dramatic as that seen in the early 1990s when BSE incidence reached its peak. Thanks to special sanitation measures and market reorganisation, beef consumption increased again to reach almost the same levels recorded before BSE first appeared (Sarzeaud et al. 2008). The extensive study presented here endeavours to fill in the gaps in the research and scientific data in this area by providing information on the chemical composition of thermally processed beef.