U.S. Pork Again Tops Blind Taste Test in Korean

By CnAgri2012-07-26 19:15:24 Print

For the second time in two years, South Korea's top cooking magazine, Cookand, joined with the U.S. Meat Export Federation for a blind taste test conducted with panels of food industry experts and consumers to determine which pork would be preferred by Koreans when taste is the only consideration. Four types of chilled pork belly and collar butt (U.S., Canadian and two South Korean brands: Sunjin and Moguchon) were included in the sampling. To remove any favorable conditions for one type of pork over another, each sample was 10 days old, purchased from the sale seller, cut to the same portion size and cooked identically without seasoning.

Each participant judged the samples on tenderness, tastiness and juiciness, as well as how the pork smelled and its texture after cooking.

U.S. pork was the clear winner among the food industry experts on the panel, earning a score of 79 out of 100 versus 74 for Canadian pork and 74 and 69 for the two Korean pork brands. The consumer panel put U.S. and Canadian pork in a tie with a score of 74 while the two Korean pork brands earned scores of 62 and 53.

Cookand magazine assembled an impressive set of judges for the competition. A panel of 10 experts included a food reporter for daily newspaper Hankyoreh; the television producer/Le Cordon Bleu graduate; a food reporter for JoongAng Ilbo, Korea抯 top daily newspaper; the owner of Tavern 38, a French-American bistro; the owner-chef of Korean restaurant Doodukhan Sang; the head chef at Oakwood Hotels; a food critic for JoongAng Ilbo; a cooking instructor and food researcher; a meat wholesaler; and a traditional cookery professor at Baewha Women抯 University.

The food industry experts were joined by a panel of 10 consumers, four men and six women, including an international lawyer, chef, landscaper, financier, advertising agent, several food bloggers and several students studying to be nutritionists and food stylists.

Interestingly, the results of the Cookand test come on the heels of a recent survey by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), which questioned 750 consumers about their pork preferences. In that survey, 66.1 percent said they believe the quality of domestic pork is better while just under 1 percent said they prefer imported pork. The balance couldn抰 tell the difference.

South Korea is the No. 5 market for U.S. pork exports through the first four months of 2012, accounting for 67,061 metric tons (147.8 million pounds) valued at $192.7 million. Those totals are down from 2011 as Korea rebounds from an FMD outbreak that devastated the nation抯 pork industry last year. However, the March 15 implementation of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement will help U.S. exports as it brings about the eventual elimination of all tariffs on U.S. pork imports.