(Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ife, 1981) Smith, O. B.; Ladipo, P.; Adegbola, A. A.
The effect of feeding cocoa-pod, hitherto considered a waste product, to cattle on the organoleptic qualities and consumer acceptance of the resulting beef was investigated. Two consumer acceptance tests were carried out, with the cooking method controlled in one and uncontrolled in the other. The results of the latter test showed that the favourite beef cooking method was to boil (or steam), fry and stew (40%), followed by boiling and stewing (34%). In both tests, beef from cattle fed cocoa-pod and control diets had similar scores (P. > 05) for both tenderness and flavour. Overall acceptability scores were also not different (P. > 05). The majority of consumers (75%) indicated a preference for beef as tender as the experimental samples obtained from rapidly grown cattle as opposed to the usually tougher market beef from older, range grown cattle. Apparently, feeding cattle cocoa-pod at dietary levels of up to 40% would have no adverse effect on the organoleptic qualities and acceptability of beef.