Beef Carcass Evaluation (Derek Vote) Flashcards
What is the purpose of U.S. beef carcass grades?
To sort beef carcasses into homogenous groups to facilitate marketing
* Was a way to more uniformly report dressed beef prices
* Have been revised several times to accommodate the changing needs of the industry
Beef carcass grades are federally recognized
What do yield grades measure?
Reflect the difference in carcass composition (1-5)
What do quality grades measure?
Reflects differences in expected eating quality
* Prime
* Choice
* Select
What is taken into consideration in yield grade?
- Adjusted fat thickness (Most heavily weighted)
- Ribeye area (second most heavily weighted)
- Hot carcass weight
- KPH (kidney, pelvic, heart) Fat
What does the yield grade equation try to predict?
The differences in yield of closely trimmed, boneless retail cuts from the round, loin, rib, and chuck
Yield grade 1 is the best, yield grade 3 is standard
- You get premiums for yield grades 1 and 2
- You get discounts for yield grades 4 and 5
How is quality grade determined?
- Carcass maturity
- Marbling (intramuscular fat)
What are teh 2 methods for assessing cattle age?
Dentition
* FSIS requirement in response to BSE
Physiological Maturity
* Historically used by the USDA beef quality grading system
* Subjective evaluation of skeleton and lean by USDA AMS graders
How do you know if a bovine is older than 30 months of age by dentiiton?
It has lost 3 or more permanent incisors
If you see indication of a third incisior, they are considered to be older than 30 months
How do you judge age based on skeletal maturity?
By looking at the ossification of the thoracic button
You see more ossification as the animal gets heavier
You could see ossification characteristic of a cattle older than 30 months even though dentition and records indicate otherwise
How do you determine lean maturity?
As cattle mature:
* Lean color becomes darker
* Lean texture becomes coarser
Marbling Scores
Prime
* Abundant
* Moderately Abundant
* Slightly Abundant
Choice
* Moderate
* Modest
* Small
Select
* Slight
Standard
* Traces
* Practically devoid
The most common marbling scores are: slightly abundant, moderate, modest, small , and slight
Why is marbling important?
Beef tastes better
* Associated with improved tenderness, juiciness, and flavor
What is Marbling Stain Theory?
The idea that fat deposites weaking musculature producing a more tender product
Does maturity affect beef quality grading?
Yes!
Beef cannot grade select if older than 30 months
T/F: The percentage of carcasses grading Prime and Choice has decreased over the years
False, it has increased
What is a dark cutter?
When the muscle glycogen is depleted in the live animal prior to slaughter.
* The final pH of the muscle remains higher than normal
* Lean color appears dark, more susceptible to spoilage, can taste more metallic
* Consumers will not buy it (looks bad)
What is ecchymosis (blood splash, blood shot)?
Capillary rupture in the muscle due to abnormally high blood pressure prior to exsanguination
* Safe to eat
* No impact on flavor
What is steatosis (calloused)?
When the longissimus dorsi muscle receives trauma causing the muscle to be replaced by fat and connective tissue
* Not a pleasant eating experience, makes meat tough and chewy
What is a “white cow”?
Commercial graded cow: Usually comprises of carcasses that have a minimum of small 0 marbling scores, A lean maturity color, and a minimum of 8 square inch REA, and outside fat cover is not yellow
Usually all primals are merchandised
What is a “Breaker” cow?
Utility graded cow: Usually comprised of carcasses that have a minimum of slight 0 marblingscores, some outside fat (white or yellow), minimum of 6 square inch REA
Major subprimals are merchandised
What are “Boners”?
**Tenderloin, ribeye, strip loin, and top sirloin are usually merchandised. **
The rest of the carcass is merchandised as trimmings (80 to 85% lean)
What are cutter/canner?
Tenderloin is the most common primal saved from the carcass, the rest of the carcass is merchandised by high (90%+) lean trimmings
What do certified beef programs do for products that quality grades don’t?
- Include intrinsic and extrinsic quality factors
- Aid in market diversification
What are the advantages of instrument grading?
- Provides more precise measurements of fat thickness, REA and yield grade to 0.1 and marbling score to single digit (401)
- Automatically recods data to a database
- More consistent from camera to camera than human grader to human grader
- Can also measure color and predict tenderness
