beef tour grades, palatability, safety - copia

US Beef Industry

Castrates vs. Intact• Avian slaughtered prior to puberty-

castration unnecessary• Improve meat quality & palatability

– Pigs- Boars taint– Cattle and Sheep- Intact have

tenderness variation• Reduce management challenges

– Can have comingled genders– Easier on facilities & people

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Overview of On-Farm Production Systems

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Elite Purebred ProducersElite Purebred Producers

Multiplier ProducersMultiplier Producers

Packers/ProcessorsPackers/Processors

Wholesalers/PurveyorsWholesalers/Purveyors

Retailers/FoodserviceRetailers/Foodservice

CustomersCustomers

Commercial ProducersCommercial Producers

Elapsed time from birth to slaughter

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Cattle – 14 to 22 months (18 mo.)

Swine – 5 to 7 months

Sheep – 6 to 10 months

Goats – Variable

Turkey – 18 weeks

Broiler – 6 weeks

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Beef Production

• Dairy - Bos Taurus

• Beef - Bos Taurus & Bos Indicus

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Commercial Beef Production

Cow/CalfProducer

FeedyardStocker

Packer

U.S. Beef Production

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• Most cow-calf operations– part-time, hobby, or tax write-off

• 90% have less than 100 cows– 44 national average

• Majority of life on forage alone

• Essentially no cow-calf integration

• Finishing-Corn-based, castrates- ↑ quality & consistency

• Approximately ¼ of supply owned by packer from weaning on

• Fed Holstein steer and cull cow by-products of dairy industry

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Cow-Calf Segment

Beef Cows Inventory

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Calf with Cow ~ 7 mo.

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Inshipments

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Why going to middle of country?

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• Established infrastructure (feeders & packers)

• Forage advantages

• Less population density

• Climate

Stocker Segment

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• Up to 90 days of cheap growth on grass

• Spring born calves to winter wheat in OK, KS, & TX

• Fall born calves to summer pasture in same areas and/or midwest

• Direct to feedlot or stocker operation?

• Driven by market, weather, genetics of calves

Stocker Segment

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Placed in a feed yard~800 pounds

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Feedyard Segment

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Feedyard Segment

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120 Days (> 3 lb/d) ~1200 pounds

Feedlot Segment

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• At least 100 days (120-150 days)

– Ration - 75% grain, 25% hay

• Can utilize byproducts of ethanol production well

• Purpose

– Improving meat quality and quantity

Feedlot Segment

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Source: Colorado State University

Clarification/ Inspection Vs. Grading

USDA Quality and Yield USDA Quality and Yield GradesGrades

• USDA grades are designed to segregate USDA grades are designed to segregate carcasses into similar categories and to carcasses into similar categories and to facilitate marketingfacilitate marketing

• 90% of the cattle slaughtered in the US 90% of the cattle slaughtered in the US receive a USDA grade.receive a USDA grade.

• Dual grading system (quality and yield)Dual grading system (quality and yield)• USDA grading of beef is optionalUSDA grading of beef is optional

USDA Grading

• Both quality grades and yield grades Both quality grades and yield grades are assigned to carcasses by USDA are assigned to carcasses by USDA Graders who are independent of the Graders who are independent of the packing plants.packing plants.

• Graders have two responsibilitiesGraders have two responsibilities– GradingGrading– CertificationCertification

Beef Carcass Anatomy

RoundRound

1212thth and and 1313thth Rib Rib

ChuckChuck

LoinLoin

RibRib

USDA Quality Grade

• What is meant by quality grade:– term used to describe the characteristics of

the lean that indicate palatability– describes factors that consumers associate

with tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall palatability

Quality Grade Factors

• Maturity:– subjective observation of ossification of the

vertebral columns, color of lean, and texture of lean

• Marbling– Subjective evaluation of the amount of

intramuscular fat dispersed within the ribeye

“Buttons”

Spinous Spinous process of process of

the the Thoracic Thoracic vertebra vertebra

Thoracic Thoracic vertebravertebra

Beef Quality Grades- Lean Maturity

Young Intermediate Mature

A00 B00 C00 D00 E00

USDA Maturity Classes

Maturity Classification

A

B

C

D

E

Months of Age**

9 to 30 months of age

30 to 42 months of age

42 to 72 months of age

72 to 96 months of age

Over 96 months of age

**These ages are only an estimation

Carcass Maturity

Maturity

A00 0% 9 – 30

B00 10% 30 – 42

C00 35% 42 – 72

D00 70% 72 – 96

E00 90%

E100 100%

% Thoracic Ossification

Approximate Age (Months)

> 96

Bone Maturity A00 B00 C00 D00 E00

Various Maturity of Beef Cattle

A-MaturityA-Maturity C-MaturityC-Maturity D-MaturityD-Maturity

Overall USDA Maturity

A-MaturityA-Maturity

USDA Quality-Marbling

• Marbling, or intramuscular fat flecks within the exposed ribeye area

• Usually the major factor determining quality grade

Flecks of fat within the encircled area

Marbling Scores and Final Quality Grade of A-Maturity

Carcasses1. Abundant

2. Moderately Abundant

3. Slightly Abundant

4. Moderate

5. Modest

6. Small

7. Slight

8. Traces

9. Practically Devoid

High PrimeHigh Prime

Average PrimeAverage Prime

Low PrimeLow Prime

High ChoiceHigh Choice

Average ChoiceAverage Choice

Low ChoiceLow Choice

SelectSelect

StandardStandard

StandardStandard

Pri

me

Pri

me

Ch

oic

eC

ho

ice

Se

lec

tS

ele

ct

Overall Quality Grade

Overall USDA Quality Grade

A-MaturityA-MaturityModest Modest

MarblingMarbling

Average Average ChoiceChoice

USDA Yield Grade• What is meant by USDA Yield Grade:

– Yield grades were developed to estimate the “Percent Boneless Closely Trimmed Rib, Loin, Chuck, and Round.”

• A multi-linear regression equation was developed from 348 head of cattle.

• This equation uses the hot carcass weight, ribeye area, back fat thickness, and percentage of Kidney, Pelvic, and Heart Fat (KPH).

USDA Yield Grade

USDA YG %BCTRC

1

2

3

4

5

52.3 % or More

52.3 - 50.0%

50.0 - 47.7%

47.7 - 45.4%

45.4% or Less

%BCTRC = 51.34 – 5.784(Adj.Fat) – 0.462(KPH) + 0.740(REA) – 0.0093(HCW)

USDA YG = 2.5 + 2.5(Adj.Fat) – 0.2(KPH) + 0.32(REA) – 0.0038(HCW)

USDA Yield Grades

• Predicting Carcass Cutability– Hot Carcass Weight (lbs)– Adjusted Fat Thickness (in.)– Ribeye Area (sq. in.)– % Kidney Pelvic and Heart Fat

USDA Yield Grades

Percent Kidney, Pelvic, and Heart Fat (KPH)

Pelvic Fat

Kidney Fat

Heart Fat

12th Rib Back Fat Thickness

¾ the length of the ribeye

12th Rib Ribeye Area

Each Square is a tenth of an inch

8 in2

VIA Output

Flavor

Grain fed vs grass fed

Wet aged vs dry aged

Juiciness

Degree of doneness/cookery

Tenderness

Amount and age of connective tissue

Tenderness• Post-Mortem Aging-

Protein Degradation– Calpains & Calpastatin

• 14 -21 Days

I hour postmortem

24 hours postmortem

Tenderness

MuscleOverall

tenderness score

Common name

Psoas Major 7.10 Tenderloin

Infraspinatus 6.7 Flat Iron, top blade

Longissimus dorsi 6.42 Ribeye, strip loin

Rectus femoris 5.74 Sirloin tip

Gluteus medius 5.63 Top sirloin

Triceps 5.57 Chuck pot roast

Semitendinosus 5.53 Eye of round

Semimembranosus 5.52 Top round

Biceps femoris 5.44 Bottom round

Pectoralis 4.57 Brisket

Tenderness

• Density/Lubrication (Marbling)

• Insurance Against Overcooking

Emerson et al., 2013

Certification

• Using the USDA grading standards and other specifications to have third party certification

• Currently 139 different schedules

• Purpose– Add value– Develop brand identity– Improve endpoint consistency

• Program Name

– Certified Angus Beef

• Live Animal Requirements

– 51% Black Hair Coat

• Carcass Requirements

– No dairy conformation

– Steers and Heifers

– No dark cutters

– No internal hemorrhaging

– Maximum hump height < 2”

• Quality

– A maturity

– Mt 00 or higher

– Medium to fine textured marbling

• Yield

– Ribeye area 10 to 16 in2

– Carcass weight < 1050

– Fat thickness < 1”

Slight 00Slight 50

Small 00Small 50Modest 00Moderate 00

Slightly Abundant 00

Required

• USDA FSIS Inspection– Pre-Operational Sanitation– Antemortem– Postmortem

• Zero tolerance

• Antibiotic residues

– Mandatory Testing • Generic E coli and Salmonella testing

• Trim &/or ground beef testing for STEC

• Ready-to-eat testing

375 g

Sample Composite

Add 3 – 10 volumes media

Enrichment @ 42°C

FSIS N-60 Testing

TRADE SECRET – CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL INFORMATIONThis document contains confidential commercial information pursuant to 5 U.S.C. sec. 552(b)(4).

12 pieces weighing 75 g per combo = 375 g

Why do we need intervention steps?

• Prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in fecal samples– Spring and Summer = 74%– Lower in Fall– Much lower in Winter (29.4%)

• Prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 on pre-evisceration carcasses– Spring and Summer (39%)– Lowest in Winter (1%).

• 1,232 post-intervention carcasses sampled during the four seasons– Only 15 (1.2%) tested positive for the presence of E. coli

O157:H7

• Barkocy-Gallagher, G. A., Arthur, T. M., Rivera-Betancourt, M., Nou, X., Shackelford, S. D., Wheeler, T. L., et al. (2003). Seasonal prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, including O157:H7 and non-O157 serotypes, and Salmonella in commercial beef processing plants. Journal of Food Protection, 66, 1978–1986.

What The Industry Does

• Interventions:– Process, practice, or

chemical applied to the meat or processing environment in order to reduce levels of foodborne pathogens

• slow/stop/remove

• Multiple Hurdle approach

Steam Vacuum

Carcass WashCabinets

Organic Acid Wash

Additional Third Additional Third Party TestingParty Testing

• Must tell FSIS of positives

Questions?