## 2 Materials and Methods  
### Materials and Meat Sample Preparation  
The carcasses providing the samples used in this research were obtained from young bulls of the Holstein-Friesian breed (20-27 months) characterized by similar quality parameters including European Union Ruling on the Classification of Carcasses (EUROP) muscle scores from O- to O, EUROP fatness scores from \(-2\) to \(2\), carcass weight from 278 kg to 366 kg, ultimate loin pH from 5.50 to 5.88, meat color from 1B to 4 (Australian Meat Industry Standards and Quality Assurance Program (AUS-MEAT)), marbling (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)) from 270 to 420, and ossification (USDA) from 130 to 180. The chilling rate of the carcasses was monitored to ensure that the correct drop in pH was observed in relation to the temperature drop and that the risk of cold shortening was excluded. The suspension method used post-mortem was the Achilles tendon method. Three muscles (_M. Seminembranosus_ (SM), _M. biceps femoris_ (BF), and _M. rectus femoris_ (RF)) were collected. The cattle were slaughtered under European Union requirements following the Polish industry practice. The carcasses were selected by trained staff who assessed the amount of visual intramuscular fat of the ribeye face at the 12 th and 13 th rib along with lean color and skeletal ossification [26]. The meat was aged at 4 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 21 days post-mortem prior to production. The cutting of roasts and cubes for stewing and cooking methods was conducted according to the MSA protocols [5]. The samples were frozen and held at \(-20\)\({}^{\circ}\)C prior to consumer panels, conducted in Poland, or after frozen transport to Northern Ireland where they were held at \(-80\)\({}^{\circ}\)C prior to flavor analyses. The samples were transferred from frozen storage to a refrigerator set at 4 \({}^{\circ}\)C 24 h before testing to facilitate thawing. Subsequently, they were taken out of the refrigerator and allowed to reach an approximate temperature of 20 \({}^{\circ}\)C within the hour preceding the cooking process. Two different cooking methods (roasting and stewing) were applied. The cooking methods were the same both for the consumer panels and volatile compound analysis. Roasts were prepared as a single \"block\" of approximately 80 mm \(\times\) 80 mm \(\times\) 150 mm whereas a stew sample comprised 22 cubes of 21 mm on each axis. The roast samples for sensory evaluation were prepared in a convection-steam oven (model CPE 110, Kuppersbuch, Grosskuchentechnik, Galsen-kirchen, Germany). The oven was set to dry heat and preheated to 160 \({}^{\circ}\)C prior to loading the roast blocks. The blocks were paired for weight and placed in the oven in a designated arrangement related to relative weight and size. The 20 roasts at the front of each pair were fitted with a thermocouple inserted in their geometric center. All the roasts had an ovenproof identification tag pinned to the rear to maintain sample identification (ID) during cooking and carving. The oven temperature was maintained at 160 \({}^{\circ}\)C throughout the cooking period. Each roast was removed from the oven when an internal temperature of 65 \({}^{\circ}\)C was reached. This temperature was confirmed with a calibrated thermometer for all the roasts with the paired non-thermocoupled samples tested at the time of the removal of their matched pair. On removal, the roasts were placed in a bain-marie steamer pan and allowed to stand for a minimum of 5 min prior to further preparation. The stewing samples were browned and cooked prior to delivery to the sensory testing venue. Browning was achieved by heating in a stainless steel frying pan on full heat with olive oil. The cubes from each sample were added and removed as designated by a pre-printed timing control sheet referenced against an elapsed timer (according to MSA standards). The cubes were sprayed liberally with an olive oil spray (Napolina, olive oil, Liverpool, UK) and stirred to ensure all the sides were browned.