Thailand is a country of native beef cattle resource farming. It has undergone rapid social and economic change in the past decade. Agricultural growth has been maintained by increasing the production of rice and cassava. Changing economic status also provides opportunities for beef cattle producers to meet increasing consumer demand for beef. Finishing beef cattle numbers in Thailand were about 1.0 M head in 2015. Beef produced in Thailand has exclusively been for domestic consumption. Only 1% of Thailand’s beef cattle are for the premium market which is based on marbling score, 40% are sold into modern markets that consider muscling of cattle, and the remainder enter traditional markets. Cross-bred cattle for the premium market are raised within intensive systems. Most producers of premium beef are members of beef cooperatives, or have invested in their enterprises at high levels. Culled cow (native or cross-bred cattle) are mainly for small holder farm production. Malaysia, Indonesia, and other members of the Asian Economic Community (AEC) are set to become the largest beef market, which has been confirmed by 2015 through 2020 forecasts for consumption of beef that must increasingly be halal. These circumstances are likely to be challenging for beef producers in Thailand to gain a share of this market. Integration across all sectors involved in beef production in Thailand will be required.

Sringarm (2021) Effect of deep bedding floor and fermented feed supplement on productive performance, carcase, meat quality and fatty acid profile of crossbred pigs,

No abstract

This research article was done by a group of scientists from 6 different departments and 4 universities. We have equally contributed.

This study examines the implications of PEF as an alternative fat replacer on nutritional composition, display storage stability, product quality, and its practical application for beef patties. Four different beef patties were formulated with 0, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5% PEF. Addition of the PEF in beef patties resulted in a significant increase in moisture, ash, and total dietary fiber while decreasing protein and fat contents. The cooking yield, moisture, and fat retention of the PEF beef patties were significantly higher than the control patty. The tenderness and juiciness scores of the PEF beef patties were significantly increased compared to the control. The lightness and redness values of raw patties were superior to the control during storage time. The amounts of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) were lower in PEF beef patties than the control patties during 7 days of storage at 4°C. These results suggested that PEF could be used as a natural antioxidant fat replacer in beef patties without losing sensory and visual quality. In addition, the utilization of PEF may improve nutritional values including dietary fiber and display storage stability in beef patties.

It was experimentally determined whether crossbreeding with Bos indicus dams compared to Bos taurus dams may provide meat which is competitive in organoleptic properties and fatty acid (FA) profile and if tenderness, assumed to be lower, is really adversely affected. Eight Black Angus × White Lamphun (A×W) bulls were compared with 8 Black Angus × Holstein Friesian (A×H). M. longissimus thoracis, M. semimembranosus and M. infraspinatus were analyzed for organoleptic properties and objective explanatory properties related to tenderness, as well as FA profile.Tenderness was judged lower in the M. infraspinatus of A×W than A×H, but not in the other muscles. Shear force and collagen solubility tended (P < 0.10) to be lower in all 3 muscles of A×W compared to those of A×H. The fat content of the M. longissimus thoracis from A×W was lower than that from A×H. The lipids in the M. longissimus thoracis from A×W were richer in polyunsaturated FA and total n-3 FA, and poorer in C18:0 and saturated FA than those of A×H. Furthermore, the lipids of the M. semimembranosus from A×W had higher proportions of C14:1 and C16:1 than that of A×H. The FA in the M. infraspinatus from A×W had higher proportions of C18:3 n-3, mono-unsaturated FA and total n-3 FA and the proportion of saturated FA was lower than in A×H. The M. infraspinatus from A×W was lower in cholesterol content than that from A×H. There were some differences in tenderness (inferior in White Lamphun crossbreds) and FA profile (superior in White Lamphun crossbreds), but differences were numerically small and, thus, may be of low practical relevance. Therefore, crossbreeding with indigenous Bos indicus cattle does not seem to be restricted by low meat quality.