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Any good business manager knows
success lies in repeat customers. The beef industry follows that
model and annually invests millions of dollars in research to
help ensure satisfied consumers.
“Beef is known for taste. If we forget that we lose a huge price
advantage to competing proteins,” says Glen Dolezal, Cargill
Meat Solutions. “Whatever we do in the industry—whether
pre-harvest or post-harvest—we’ve got to be sure beef continues
to perform to consumers’ expectations for taste and tenderness.”
Dolezal chairs the beef industry’s Joint Product Enhancement
Committee. During the 2009 fiscal year, the 50-person committee
received nearly $1 million of Beef Checkoff monies from the Beef
Promotion Operating Committee. Those dollars are used to support
research that will have an impact on the entire industry.
One of the projects, spearheaded by Stephen Smith of Texas A & M
University, aims to create more of those loyal beef customers.
Smith, along with colleagues at the University of Idaho and
Texas Tech University, submitted the proposal titled,
“Regulation of Marbling Development in Beef Cattle by Specific
Fatty Acids.”
The project will use three different models to uncover how fat
is deposited both inside and outside the muscle.
“In a nutshell, we’re trying to figure out how to improve
quality grade and yield grade simultaneously by understanding
the development of fat,” says Matt Doumit, University of Idaho
meat scientist. “We’re looking at the effects of fatty acids on
the differentiation of fat cells from intramuscular fat depots –
which give rise to marbling – as well as those from subcutaneous
fat.”
Dolezal says this project has his committee’s backing because it
“dovetails nicely” with their overall goals.
“Anything we can do to put more taste fat inside the muscle and
less waste fat outside, that is positive for beef consumption,
diet health, taste and tenderness,” he says.
Smith says recording the results have far-reaching effects.
“There is no question that the primary fatty acid in beef, oleic
acid, increases as marbling increases in beef,” he says. “The
research will document if we can also increase the
concentrations of other fatty acids with documented health
benefits in well marbled beef. This will increase consumer
perception and acceptance of beef as a natural source of
protein, vitamins, and healthful fatty acids.”
The trials will “take three different approaches to the same
problem,” says Doumit. His work will focus on the precursor
cells, or pre-adipocytes, to see whether certain fatty acids
prefer internal or external fat.
Texas Tech’s Brad Johnson will look at “going from a muscle
satellite cell, or specialized muscle cell, and how it converts
to intramuscular fat or marbling,” Doumit says.
Smith will study mature fat cells at different growth stages.
“This is a time when it’s difficult for the cattle industry
because the price of feed is high and the price of beef is not,
so anything the industry can do to improve efficiency and still
maintain product quality is a benefit,” Doumit says.
The joint committee places emphasis on taste and tenderness,
Dolezal says, “Because we feel strongly that we can’t sacrifice
that and still preserve, much less increase, long-term beef
demand.”
The American Angus Association’s Research Priorities Committee
set similar goals last fall, and sought financial support from
its nonprofit affiliate Angus Foundation.
“Marbling and quality of end product surfaced in our priority
list,” says Milford Jenkins, Foundation president. “If we can
help our Angus seedstock and commercial producers enhance their
profitably through utilization of Angus genetics, then we
believe it’s a win-win-win.”
That’s why the Foundation pledged $50,000 in supplemental
funding to allow the scientists to also research how vitamins A
and D affect fat deposition.
“We’re able to make this level of investment because of generous
charitable contributions to the Angus Foundation by breeders,
allied industry interests and friends of the breed,” Jenkins
says.
The Foundation’s ambitious Vision of Value: Campaign for Angus
is working to raise $11 million by December 31, 2011, with funds
going toward youth, education and research.
Doumit says the work will add to the level of understanding and
could result in applicable management strategies later on.
“There have been some feeding trials and people trying to look
at the effects of these vitamins, but we really don’t have a
good understanding at the cellular level,” he says.
National Beef Quality Audit numbers quantify the magnitude of
quality and yield grade challenges.
“It’s about a $1.3-billion problem for the industry by not
having the optimum yield and quality grade distributions,” he
says.
Both are “heavily influenced” by fat deposition, Doumit says, so
understanding how that happens at different places within the
animal is critical to improving beef palatability and cutability.
Initial results may be published by summer 2010. |
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