ABSTRACTCorrelation of elements contributing to meat flavor quality (MFQ) were examined. Muscle structure influences generation of micro temperature environments that lead to formation of flavor‐zones. Generation of such zones was also attributed to a structurally‐dependent barrier to oxygen. MFQ was examined in the presence and absence of oxygen. Vacuum storage completely retarded flavor deterioration as marked by chemical markers such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and lipid volatiles. Vacuum storage incompletely affected changes in sensory attributes; it partially retarded development of painty, cardboard, bitter and sour flavors and limited loss of desirable flavors such as cooked beef/brothy and browned/caramel. Bivariate plots of factor solutions resulting from multivariate principal components analysis proved a suitable method to graphically present statistical correlations between experimental treatments and sensory, chemical, and instrumental attribu