Review: On-farm and processing factors affecting bovine carcass and meat quality

Livestock production is under increasing scrutiny as a component of the food supply chain with a large impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Amidst growing calls to reduce industrial ruminant production, there is room to consider differences in meat quality and nutritional benefits of organic and/or pasture-based management systems. Access to forage, whether fresh or conserved, is a key influencing factor for meat fatty acid profile, and there is increasing evidence that pasture access is particularly beneficial for meat’s nutritional quality. These composition differences ultimately impact nutrient supply to consumers of conventional, organic and grass-fed meat. For this review, predicted fatty acid supply from three consumption scenarios were modelled: i. average UK population National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) (<128 g/week) red meat consumption, ii. red meat consumption suggested by the UK National Health Service (NHS) (<490 g/week) and iii. red meat consumption suggested by the Eat Lancet Report (<98 g/week). The results indicate average consumers would receive more of the beneficial fatty acids for human health (especially the essential omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid) from pasture-fed beef, produced either organically or conventionally.

Section: Effect Of Feed System On Meat Fatty Acid Profilementioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional Benefits from Fatty Acids in Organic and Grass-Fed Beef

Davis

Magistrali

Butler

et al. 2022

“…When consumers select products in shops and markets, the extrinsic cues conveyed by the products play a dominant role in the formation of quality perception and expectation and in the subsequent purchase decision-making [ 1 ]. Within the meat sector, the extrinsic quality traits of beef are predominantly related to production, processing, and marketing, including the commercial quality of beef carcasses, brand, origin, image, quality grade, price and other product information that is of value to consumers, such as animal breed, feeding resources, breeding environment, and ethical, cultural, and environmental dimensions [ 7 ].…”

Section: Consumer Perception Of Beef Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The variability in bovine carcasses and, consequently, in meat quality is high, inconsistent, and multifactorial in origin [ 7 ]. As the unit of trade and grading is based on carcasses, the commercial quality of bovine carcasses is of paramount importance not only for farmers, but also for the intermediate actors of the supply chain and retailers to ensure an optimized meat quality for consumers [ 8 ].…”

Section: Consumer Perception Of Beef Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to monogastric animals, the arguments against beef production do not so much concern food competition with humans but are more related to environmental sustainability in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and use of land and water [ 7 ]. Another issue in relation to beef production is animal welfare, such as the animal suffering caused by factory farming systems to boost meat productivity.…”

Section: Consumer Perception Of Beef Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Consumer Perception of Beef Quality and How to Control, Improve and Predict It? Focus on Eating Quality

Liu

Ellies-Oury

Stoyanchev

et al. 2022

Quality refers to the characteristics of products that meet the demands and expectations of the end users. Beef quality is a convergence between product characteristics on one hand and consumers’ experiences and demands on the other. This paper reviews the formation of consumer beef quality perception, the main factors determining beef sensory quality, and how to measure and predict beef eating quality at scientific and industrial levels. Beef quality is of paramount importance to consumers since consumer perception of quality determines the decision to purchase and repeat the purchase. Consumer perception of beef quality undergoes a multi-step process at the time of purchase and consumption in order to achieve an overall value assessment. Beef quality perception is determined by a set of quality attributes, including intrinsic (appearance, safety, technological, sensory and nutritional characteristics, convenience) and extrinsic (price, image, livestock farming systems, commercial strategy, etc.) quality traits. The beef eating qualities that are the most valued by consumers are highly variable and depend mainly on the composition and characteristics of the original muscle and the post-mortem processes involved in the conversion of muscle into meat, the mechanisms of which are summarized in this review. Furthermore, in order to guarantee good quality beef for consumers in advance, the prediction of beef quality by combining different traits in scenarios where the animal, carcass, and muscle cuts can be evaluated is also discussed in the current review.

“…Indeed, the proportion of red muscle fibers, with high glycogen content, increases with animal age and influences muscle metabolism and pH. Additionally, in cattle and goats it is reported that younger animals produce meat with a higher pH than older animals due to lower levels of glycogen [ 20 , 21 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmortem Muscle Protein Changes as a Tool for Monitoring Sahraoui Dromedary Meat Quality Characteristics

Smili

Becila

Malva

et al. 2022

The effects of slaughter age (2 vs. 9 years) and postmortem time (6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h) on the meat quality and protein changes of the longissimus lumborum muscles of the Algerian Sahraoui dromedary were investigated. Muscles of young dromedaries evidenced a slower acidification process and a significantly higher myofibrillar fragmentation index throughout the postmortem time. The SDS-PAGE of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins revealed that meat from young dromedaries was characterized by the lowest percentage of myoglobin (p < 0.001) and the highest percentage of desmin (p < 0.01). During postmortem time, a decrease was found for phosphoglucomutase (p < 0.01), α-actinin (p < 0.05) and desmin (p < 0.01) in meat from young dromedaries. Western blot revealed an intense degradation of troponin T in younger dromedaries, with an earlier appearance of the 28 kDa polypeptide highlighting differences in the proteolytic potential between dromedaries of different ages. Principal component analysis showed that meat from young dromedaries, starting from 24 h postmortem, was located in a zone of the plot characterized by higher levels of the myofibrillar fragmentation index, 30 kDa polypeptide and enolase, overall confirming greater proteolysis in younger animals. Data suggest that the investigation of the muscle proteome is necessary to set targeted interventions to improve the aging process of dromedary meat cuts.