Due to referring to "original cut marinated steak" as "original cut steak" during the live broadcast, the food blogger "Xiao Bei is Hungry" with tens of millions of fans recently issued a statement saying that relevant There is no quality problem with the product, and the statement of "original cut steak" was a slip of the tongue. He also said that relevant departments have intervened and are actively cooperating with the investigation.

The "Xiao Bei is Hungry" live broadcast "slip of the tongue" once again revealed the complexity of steak products. What is a Prime Cut Steak? How to tell the difference between marinated steak, seasoned steak, whole cut steak, filet mignon, eye fillet steak, sirloin steak or even steak with minced meat? How to define and select grain-fed steak and M5 grade steak? These concepts may be difficult for non-professionals to explain clearly.

According to industry insiders, steaks are mainly divided into two types: raw-cut steaks and seasoned steaks. The raw ingredients of steak are only beef, while seasonings, food additives and other auxiliary materials are generally added to seasoned steaks for cooking and processing. There is a lot of knowledge in preparing steaks, and you may buy "spliced ??steaks" or even fake steaks pretending to be from other meat sources.

In response to the current situation of the steak market, a reporter from the Beijing News recently visited the market and found that some e-commerce merchants put the words "original cut steak" in the search keywords for prepared steak products, and there are also offline channel products that use prepared steaks. The slogan "Original Cut" is printed on the packaging, which confuses consumers. In addition, there are businesses selling "spliced ??steak", with a piece priced at only 6.39 yuan.

"Original cut steak" is said to be "original cut steak"

The source of the meat is raw cut meat, and the process is static marinating. In the live broadcast, "original cut steak" was used several times. "Stand-marinated steak" is referred to as "original cut steak". What is wrong with the food blogger "Xiao Bei is Hungry"?

Liu Shaowei, a member of the Food Safety Professional Committee of the Shanghai Food Society, explained in a popular science article recently released by the Shanghai Consumer Protection Committee that currently commercially available steaks in my country are mainly divided into two categories: original cut steaks and prepared steaks. Raw cut steak refers to steak that has only been physically divided and packaged without adding any accessories, that is, "pure beef"; cooked steak is usually made by adding additional water, condiments, food additives, etc. to the beef for marinating and rolling. .

According to the definition of the light industry standard QB/T5442-2020 "Steak", "original cut steak" refers to fresh and frozen cut beef as raw materials, which has been trimmed, frozen, sliced, matched with convenient seasonings, and packaged Block meat products made by other techniques. "Conditioned steak" refers to block-shaped cooked meat products made from fresh and frozen cut beef as raw materials, seasoned and processed with auxiliary materials, trimmed, marinated, shaped, frozen, sliced, combined with convenient seasonings, and packaged. .

As can be seen from the above definition, raw steak is not processed with auxiliary ingredients. The "Original Cut Steak Steak" sold on the "Xiao Bei Are Hungry" live broadcast belongs to the category of prepared steak because it has been marinated. Although it is only two words less than "Original Cut Steak", the category is different.

In addition to the differences in technology and ingredients, there are also differences in nutritional content and selling price between raw steak and seasoned steak. The Shanghai Consumer Protection Commission recently conducted a comparative test on 23 types of steak and found that the protein content of raw cut steak ranged from 16.7g/100g-22.9g/100g, with an average content of about 20g/100g. The protein content of cooked steak is between 9.42g/100g-13.9g/100g, with an average content of about 12.1g/100g, which is roughly 60% of the original cut steak.

The comparative test also found that the measured protein values ??of the two prepared steaks were 64% and 77% of the label value respectively, which did not reach the measured value of GB28050 "National Food Safety Standard General Principles for Nutritional Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" ≥ 80% of the labeled value requirement; the measured fat values ??of the 4 types of seasoned steaks were only 12%, 29%, 43%, and 56% of the labeled value respectively. Among them, one "Xi Yao Ji" sample had a measured protein value of 9.42g/100g, which was 64% of the labeled value, and a measured fat value of 1.2g/100g, which was 43% of the labeled value, which was lower than the average content of cooked steak.

In order to compare steak prices, Beijing News reporters also made statistics on 13 steak products from 8 brands sold through offline channels. Converted into a unit price of 100g, 4 raw-cut steaks are priced at 20 yuan. - ranging from 75 yuan, 5 types of prepared steaks with slogans of "whole cut" and "original cut" range from 11.4 yuan to 35.3 yuan, and 4 types of "super value steak", "family steak" and "filet mignon" The selling price ranges from 6.6 yuan to 17.2 yuan. Overall, the more non-beef ingredients added to the ingredient list, the lower the price.

"Whole cut" and "original cut" charming eyes

The Beijing News reporter counted the above 13 steak products and found that 4 of the 9 prepared steaks were listed on the product packaging. Labeled with the slogan "Whole Cut". Among them, the "Hema" wet-aged dry-marinated grain-fed eye-eye steak emphasizes "whole cuts of the eye-eye steak from the original part", and the packaging of "Dahidi" vanilla and black pepper whole-cut sirloin steak shows "whole-cut and delicious". The package of mature sirloin steak emphasizes "100% no splicing, whole cut of raw meat", and the "Shengnong" family sirloin steak is marked as "whole cut steak".

Some steak product packages carry the slogan “whole cut”.

Photo by Beijing News chief reporter Guo Tie

Although none of these nine steaks directly use the word "original cut" in the product name, the "Haoye" deep-aged grain-fed children's filet mignon is on the packaging. It claims "original cut steak" and "Angus beef grain-fed for 600 days and dry-aged for 14 days." The ingredient list shows that its ingredients are beef and edible salt, and the product category is dish products, but it is actually a seasoned steak.

"Haoye" deep-aged grain-fed children's filet mignon is claimed to be "original cut steak". Photographed by Guo Tie, chief reporter of the Beijing News

In response to the claim about this steak, on November 15, Mr. Zheng, the relevant person in charge of Shanghai Haoye Food Sales Co., Ltd. responded to the Beijing News reporter that it was "originally cut" The claim means that the meat has not been rolled and "is what it is, cut with a knife." There is no definition of "raw steak" in the dictionary, and "raw cut" itself is also a foreign word. There is no mandatory standard in China, and there is no For this item, in the industry, as long as the steak is cut into its original shape, the ingredients list is based on national standards. We label the dish products."

Similarly, the e-commerce platform. Many merchants on the Internet list the words "original cut steak" in their product keywords, but they actually refer to cooked steak. For example, the "Dangton Manor" steak sold by the merchant "100% Flavor Restaurant" is a dish product. The ingredient list contains soy protein isolate, food additives and other ingredients, but the merchant types "fresh raw cut steak" in the keywords. " words. The "Excellent Selection of Sirloin Steak" sold by the merchant "Western Kitchen Food" is also a seasoned steak. The keywords include "original cut steak, fresh beef" and "household whole-cut, seasoned and marinated steak". Puzzled.

A piece of "spliced ??steak" only costs 6.39 yuan

To distinguish steaks, sometimes the product name and ingredient list alone are not enough. A frozen product dealer told the Beijing News reporter that five or six years ago, it was very common to use ground beef to process "stitched steaks" and was popular in Western restaurants and other places because of its low price. There are many factories that specialize in producing this kind of "special version" steak for restaurants. In order to pursue high profits, there are also many small factories that use a large amount of duck meat as the main ingredient, supplemented by ground beef or flavoring to produce fake steaks to reduce the cost. cost.

Mr. Liao, who is engaged in the beef processing business, told the Beijing News reporter that the raw cut steak does not undergo any processing. Even if the product only adds a small amount of salt and water, it is a cooked steak, and the "knowledge of cooking steak" It’s big.” From the supplier's point of view, the best cooked steak is marinated steak. The meat is cut into a whole piece, with only a small amount of salt, water or other ingredients added, and the ingredients are simple. The second is whole-cut steak. The meat is cut into a whole piece, but there are more ingredients than marinated steak. The advantage is that it tastes more tender and the cost is relatively low. Further down are "spliced ??steaks", some of which are "spliced" with ground beef combined with food additives, and the worst ones are made with chicken, pork and other other meats. However, steak fraud has been significantly reduced at present.

The reporter from the Beijing News found that the wholesale price of 1 kilogram of Angus grain-fed raw cut steak trimmings imported from Australia is 37 yuan to 46 yuan, while a chilled Australian Wagyu M5 Philippine sold in supermarkets The beef steak costs 149.9 yuan for 200g. A seller said that most of its scraps are cut from Australian Angus grain-fed ribeye. “They are packaged in large pieces without water injection or splicing. They are cost-effective and suitable for frying steaks, barbecues, Western restaurants, and home cooking. For dropshipping and commercial use in restaurants, please contact us individually. ”

A certain 200g chilled Australian Wagyu M5 filet mignon is priced at 149.9 yuan. Photographed by Guo Tie, chief reporter of the Beijing News

Another merchant sells a black pepper steak online, with 10 pieces priced at only 63.9 yuan. According to the "Agricultural Products Wholesale Price Index 200" released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on November 14, the wholesale price of beef reached 77.83 yuan/kg. Mr. Zhang, the person in charge of the business, said frankly that this steak is a "spliced ??steak", so the price is cheap. The price of a piece of raw steak is more than 8 yuan. The store also sells marinated whole steaks, priced between Between "spliced ??steak" and raw-cut steak.

A certain 10-piece black pepper steak sells for 63.9 yuan. Photographed by Guo Tie, chief reporter of the Beijing News

As for how to distinguish "spliced ??steak", Mr. Liao admitted that it is impossible to accurately judge from the product ingredient list. "Soy protein, carrageenan, etc. that are often seen in prepared steaks" Ingredients, an important function is to maintain moisture in the meat and make the steak taste more tender. Just because these ingredients are in the ingredient list, it cannot be concluded that it is a spliced ??steak. From the price point of view, if the original cut steak is sold for the price of the seasoned steak. , be careful. From the appearance, the texture of the original cut steak or the whole steak is relatively regular, but the texture of the spliced ??steak is messy and cannot be spliced ??to create a complete texture."

The Shenzhen Consumer Council once said. A comparative test on 15 types of prepared steaks in 2021 showed that no clenbuterol ingredients were detected in all samples, and no other animal-derived ingredients other than beef were detected, that is, no adulteration was found. The Shenzhen Consumer Council also reminded that ingredients such as soy protein isolate, carrageenan, and glutamine transaminase can be used in food. As long as they are used in accordance with standard specifications, they will not cause harm to human health. The presence of these ingredients does not necessarily mean that they are " "Spliced/Synthetic Steak" is added to optimize the tenderness and taste of the steak, making it easier to chew and digest.

Liu Dengyong, deputy dean of the School of Food Science and Engineering at Bohai University, said in a previous interview with a reporter from the Beijing News that the raw materials used in qualified "spliced ??steak" are not necessarily all minced meat, and may also be due to processing technology requirements. , cut large pieces of meat into smaller pieces and restructure. "However, if spliced ??steaks are used as original cuts, or if ingredients such as chicken and pork are not labeled in accordance with regulations, it is illegal and constitutes commercial fraud."

"Steak" standards need to be improved

In fact, my country currently has no mandatory standards for "steak" and product grading. Classifications such as "original cut", "whole cut" and "conditioned" are mostly industry conventions. "Spliced ??steak" is also not There is no requirement to label "reorganization", "splicing" and other similar words.

From the perspective of implementation standards, raw cut steaks currently mostly comply with the recommended standards of GB2707-2016 "National Food Safety Standard for Fresh Livestock and Poultry Products" or GB/T17238 "Fresh and Frozen Cut Beef". Most of the cooked steaks comply with the SB/T10379-2012 "Quick Frozen Prepared Food" standard, and some products comply with the Shanghai local standard DB31/2016-2021 "Food Safety Local Standard Prepared Meat Products". These two standards only affect the sensory properties of prepared meat products. The requirements and microbial limits and other indicators are clearly stipulated, and the specific definition and classification of steak are not involved.

In 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released QB/T5442-2020 "Steak" and QB/T5443-2020 "Steak Quality Grade" light industry standards, defining raw cut steaks and seasoned steaks, and specifying moisture, Provisions are made on physical and chemical indicators such as protein, starch, and volatile base nitrogen. In raw steak, the moisture should not exceed 77g/100g, and there are no limits for protein and starch; in cooked steak, the moisture should not exceed 82g/100g, and the protein should not be less than 12g/100g. However, judging from market visits, there are currently not many steak products that comply with these two standards.

Regarding steak rating, according to the interpretation of the Shanghai Consumer Protection Commission, Australian Wagyu steaks often use the "M + number" rating method, where "M" refers to the fat in the muscle. Usually, the larger the M number, the higher the fat content. The higher it is, the higher the price is. "Grain-fed" refers to the feeding method of wheat, corn and other grains, and "number of days" refers to the fattening time of grain-fed cattle. The longer the number of days, the richer the marble pattern of the steak, the better the taste, and the higher the price. As for the "fillet", "eye rib" and "cold cut" that are common among consumers, they are taken from different parts of the beef body, and the meat quality and taste are different.

Australian Wagyu steak adopts the "M+ number" rating method. Photographed by Guo Tie, chief reporter of the Beijing News

In May 2021, the China Meat Association held a discussion meeting on the first draft of "Original Cut Steak and Its Quality Grades" and "Conditioned Steak and its Quality Grades". It was mentioned at the meeting that compared to raw-cut steak, cooked steak is more suitable for the eating habits of Chinese consumers. However, during the processing of cooked steak, additives such as meat tenderizer and transglutaminase, quality improvers and seasonings are used. As a result, consumers have certain misunderstandings about the cooked steak products on the market. The factors that determine the quality grade of raw cut steak are mainly the fat content of the steak and its even distribution in the muscle. The determining factor is the fattening process of the cattle. my country's existing relevant standards still have room for improvement in the quality control of the above two types of steaks.

In response to the above issues, the China Meat Association organized relevant industry experts and business leaders to review the existing standards for processing technology requirements, standard terminology for cooked steaks, sensory indicators, physical and chemical indicators, microbial limits and other indicators. Inspection methods are discussed, and efforts are made to adjust and revise some of the existing relevant standards to make the production process of seasoned steaks and cattle fattening technology high-level and controllable.

Beijing News chief reporter Guo Tie and editor Li Yan