USDA MARBLING and CARCASS PHYSIOLOGICAL MATURITY RELATED DIFFERENCES for BEEF TENDERNESS and PALATABILITY CHARACTERISTICS By
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USDA MARBLING AND CARCASS PHYSIOLOGICAL MATURITY RELATED DIFFERENCES FOR BEEF TENDERNESS AND PALATABILITY CHARACTERISTICS By CHARLES ANDREW MCPEAKE Bachelor of Science Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 1999 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE August, 2001 USDA MARBLING AND CARCASS PHYSIOLOGICAL MATURITY RELATED DIFFERENCES FOR BEEF TENDERNESS AND PALATABILITY CHARACTERISTICS Thesis Approved: -~.- Dean of the Graduate College II ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my major advisor, Dr. Brad Morgan. His never-ending desire to point me in the proper direction regarding not only research activities and scholastic achievement, but also for his willingness to go the extra mile by providing positive support and friendship will always be something that I will remember for years to come. I would also like to thank Dr. Chance Brooks and Dr. Carla Goad for their technical assistance and Dr. Fred Ray for always being someone that I could bounce an idea off of no matter how irrelevant it seemed to be. Lastly, I would like to thank the final member of my graduate committee, Dr. Clint Krehbiel, for his many entertaining discussions regarding rumenology and the feedlot industry that ultimately changed my educational path. I would be na"ive to believe a single person could accomplish research without help from their surrounding peers. A special thanks goes to Aaron Elam, Nathan Elam, Paula Bates, Laura Locke, Jeff Mafi, Mark McGee and lIiana Pruneda. Your hard work not only enabled me to complete this project in a reasonable amount of time, but also to fulfill my classroom requirements with flying colors. Perhaps the most appreciation should go towards Betty Rothermel, Kris Novotny and Linda Guenther. Each of these individuals provided me with III guidance, clarification concerning lab procedures, or just someone to talk to. Most of all, perhaps, you all taught me how to interact with many different personalities, develop a strong work ethic, and how to assume responsibility. The author wishes to thank Excel Corporation for sponsoring the current project. Specifically, gratitude is extended towards Dr. Glen Dolezal for his willingness to help in any way he could from coordination with cooler managers to actual data collection. His hard work and attention to detail will not soon be forgotten. With all of the people I have mentioned I would be remiss not to offer the greatest amount of thanks to my family; to the greatest wife any man could ever hope to marry, Tonya. She endured the brunt of my frustration and always acted like it didn't bother her. I also appreciate her never hesitating to help me in any way she could, especially when lab work that was required for this project had to get done. To my parents, Charles and Sandra, for encouraging me to always strive past the norm. All of the advice that I have been fortunate to receive has never once failed me. They have instilled within me a strong work ethic, respect for my fellow man and a desire to reach my highest goals. I would like to thank my sister Andrea, and brother-in-law Jason Young, for all of their encouragement during the past two years. I\' TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODU,CTION 1 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .4 Contributing Factors in Tenderness Variation .4 Marbling 5 Marbling: A Palatability Attribute 5 Time -on-Feed , 9 Breed Differences 11 Implants , 12 Physiological Maturity 14 Effect on Palatability 14 Chronological Age , ,.. 16 Gender. ,, 18 Implant Protocol ,, 19 Proteolysis 21 Aging Effects on Muscle Structure 21 III. USDA MARBLING AND CARCASS PHYSIOLOGICAL MATURITY RELATED DIFFERENCES FOR BEEF TENDERNESS AND PALATABILITY CHARACTERISTICS. 24 Abstract. 24 Introduction , , , 26 Materials and Methods 27 Results and Discussion 33 LITERATURE CiTED , 54 APPENDIXES , 63 APPENDIX A- COMPARISON OF CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF AND STERLING SILVER BRANDED BEEF PROGRAM CRITERION , 63 v APPENDIX B- RELATIONSHIP OF USDA MARBLING, MATURITY AND CARCASS QUALITY GRADE 64 VI LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Carcass traits stratified by quality grade category .43 2. Chemical analyses and objective color measurements of meat samples stratified by quality grade category 44 3. Results summarizing Warner-Bratz/er shear (WBS) differences between quality grade categories compared with Certified Angus Beef after adjusting for a 20% cook loss 45 4. Results summarizing Warner-Bratz/er shear (WBS) differences between quality grade categories compared with Certified Angus Beef after adjusting for a 30% cook loss .46 5. Percentage distribution of steaks within tenderness thresholds stratified by quality grade category after 7 d postmortem aging 47 6. Percentage distribution of steaks within tenderness thresholds stratified by quality grade category after 14 d postmortem aging 48 7. Percentage distribution of steaks within tenderness thresholds stratified by quality grade category after 21 d postmortem aging .49 8. Pearson Correlation Coefficients (r) describing the relationship between WBS and certain carcass traits within aging periods 50 9. Least squares means and pooled standard errors for palatability attributes stratified by quality grade category 51 VII LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Warner-Bratz/er shear (WBS) force (kg) trends for Quality Grade categories adjusted for cook loss (%) 52 2. Palatability differences between Certified Angus Beef and Sterling Silver branded beef programs 53 viii NOMENCLATURE AOAC Association of Official Analytical Chemists degree (s) Celsius cm centimeter (s) d day (s) 9 gram (s) h hour (s) kg kilogram (s) min minute (s) mL milliliter (s) mm millimeter (s) mM millimolar nm nanometer (s) N normality USDA United States Department of Agriculture WBS Warner-Bratzler shear force ~g microgram (s) ~M micromolar ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Future success of the beef industry hinges on the ability to regain market share, and sustain demand from competing protein sources. Because of the • 2000 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA), aggregate concerns of several beef marketing segments (beef processors, purveyors, restaurateurs, and retailers) were made aware to the beef industry. The top three producer issues in the NBQA were low overall uniformity and consistency, inadequate tenderness, and low overall palatability (NCBA, 2001). One strategy the beef industry has utilized to address the concerns pertaining to the sustainability of beef demand and the issue of beef uniformity, consistency and palatability has been the emergence of branded beef programs. To combat inconsistencies, branded beef programs allow the beef industry to segment a very heterogeneous raw material into more homogenous groups based on strict carcass specifications to more accurately predict potential palatability differences. More paramount, however, branded beef programs allow separate divisions of the beef industry to supply targeted consumers with a product that meets their expectations. Many researchers have documented the importance of tenderness on beef palatability. Smith et al. (1987), Savell et al. (1989), and Miller et al. (1995) determined tenderness to be the most quintessential palatability attribute of beef. While tenderness has, and will continue to be, one of the focal points for future beef research, many questions still surround the variation in beef tenderness (Wheeler et aI., 1994). Marbling score has been used in the U.S. beef industry as the primary predictor of beef palatability among carcasses with similar maturity characteristics (USDA, 2001 a). Intramuscular fat has been shown to have a small, positive relationship with beef palatability, along with a small inverse relationship with Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBS) (Wheeler et aI., 1994). Interestingly, Boleman et al. (1997) revealed the willingness of consumers (78%) to purchase a product labeled "guaranteed tender" at a higher price. In certain branded beef programs, a high marbling specification (i.e., Modest or higher) is placed on beef carcasses to insure increased palatability and reduce the risk of an unfavorable eating experience. Currently, 54 branded beef programs exist (USDA, 2001 b). Of those 54 programs, 22 strictly utilize carcasses with at least a Modest degree of marbling (USDA, 2001 b). Within those 22 branded beef programs, six programs market carcasses with both "A" and "B" physiological maturity. As cattle mature, total collagen increases and intramuscular collagen solubility decreases, resulting in tougher beef (Dikeman et aI., 1971; Cross et al., 1973; Cross et aI., 1984). Furthermore, as beef animals begin to mature physiologically, an increase in cartilage ossification and insoluble collagen j,s known to occur within the body. Further research is needed to determine the significance of differing increments of physiological maturation and marbling 2 deposition on total collagen content, as well as collagen solubility, and their effects on Warner-Bratzler shear force values and sensory panel attributes. In an effort to provide the consumer with a more uniform product, the USDA revised the standards for quality grades of carcass beef in 1997. The revision states that "B" maturity carcasses (overall) with a marbling score of Small and Slight cannot be graded USDA Choice or Select, but must grade USDA Standard (USDA, 2001 a). Common belief has been that "B" maturity carcasses with these characteristics are both highly variable