lecture 2

Question 1

Discuss the factors of grass fed meat -leanness -tenderness -flavour -effect of pasture and soil

Answer 1

grass-fed meat

• lean, not much IM fat
• less tender but excellent texture and flavour
• dependent on pastor quality and skill quality
• inconsistency due to seasonal changes of pasture quality

Question 2

Define the term pasture fed

Answer 2

pasture fed- ‘cattle which have never been fed grain or grain products and have had continual access to graze pasture and their diet is only grass, fobs, legumes, browse or cereal grain crops in vegetative state for their whole life not including milk consumption when they were young’

Question 3

What do consumers want?

Answer 3

What do consumers want

• conventional freezer beef -natural
• produced without hormones or antibiotics
• lean
• local
• pasture fed (forage only or limited grain)
• organic

Question 4

List the different characteristics of grass-finished beef

Answer 4

characteristics of grass finished beef

• generally leaner
• no animal by products
• no GMO are used
• CLA (conjugated linolneic acid, 18;3N3 )is higher
• omega -3-FA are higher
• generally not as tender -different flavour ‘off flavour’
• lots of ALA (alpha linoleum acid)

Question 5

Discuss when and what is fed for grain fed beef

Answer 5

Grain fed beef

• used during the fishing phase
• confinement feedlots
• high grain levels and min all roughage
• feed additives; antibiotics
• most diets have corn, distiller’s grains, alfalfa or corn silage as roughage sometimes other by products like potato water and bread crumbs

Question 6

What effect does feeding grass and soy hulls on fat grading and carcass weight

Answer 6

cows on just grass have a lower carcass weight and fat grade than cows which where fed grass and soy hulls

Question 7

For finishes steers what feed will causes the greatest increase in daily weight gain -grass fed or gain fed

Answer 7

Finished steers have a greater daily gain when they are fed on grain than on grass

Question 8

Label this graph with pasture, grain and choice fed

Answer 8

Question 9

Dicuss the effect of breed on the meat quality

Answer 9

there is variation in carcass traits within all breeds

they vary in marbling

fleshing ability

Question 10

List some important factors when breeding beef

Answer 10

• breed and genetic types for grass- based systems
• conditions leading to off flavours
• nutrient content of grass fed beef influencing the balanced diet
• forage mangement being able to support aniaml growth rates for finishing
• addapting to the market system