Short Communication: Tenderness of suckler beef produced in British Columbia

Abstract

Hartling, I., Cinel, B., Donkor, K. K., Ross Friedman, C., Paetkau, M. J. and Church, J. S. 2014. Short Communication: Tenderness of suckler beef produced in British Columbia. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 295–298. In order to investigate the potential of suckler beef production in British Columbia, shear force values were determined using Warner–Bratzler shear (WBS) force tests on 10 major muscles obtained from suckler-raised Simmental cattle along with the longissimus thoracis from grain- and grass-fed cattle of similar breeding. Shear force values obtained for suckler beef were then compared with literature values from grain-fed beef. All suckler beef muscles except the psoas major and spinalis dorsi had lower WBS values than their grain-fed counterparts from literature values, while the longissimus thoracis was shown to have equal tenderness in all three production systems. Results suggest that a higher number of muscles from suckler beef in this study could be used as steaks than is typically observed in the North American beef industry.

Fatty acid profile of British Columbia suckler beef

“…Although less common in North America, suckler beef could potentially fill a health conscious or environmentally sustainable niche market by providing a diversified, low-input alternative to common high-grain finishing practices. Recently, we demonstrated that various muscles from suckler calves grazing on mountainous range pasture in British Columbia, Canada, had Warner Bratzler shear-force tenderness values lower than that of typical grain-fed beef in North America, suggesting that a greater proportion of the carcass could be marketed for a premium (Hartling et al 2014). In the same study, feeding a moderate grain diet to weaned calves for 100 d did not have a deleterious effect on meat tenderness values (Hartling et al 2014).…”

“…Recently, we demonstrated that various muscles from suckler calves grazing on mountainous range pasture in British Columbia, Canada, had Warner Bratzler shear-force tenderness values lower than that of typical grain-fed beef in North America, suggesting that a greater proportion of the carcass could be marketed for a premium (Hartling et al 2014). In the same study, feeding a moderate grain diet to weaned calves for 100 d did not have a deleterious effect on meat tenderness values (Hartling et al 2014). An evaluation of Spanish suckler beef production systems indicated greater economic returns in addition to producing meat with desirable organoleptic properties and a favorable fatty acid (FA) profile (Aldai et al 2012).…”

“…Longissimus dorsi muscle samples were collected from the three feeding systems described in the companion meat tenderness study, which was approved by the Thompson Rivers University Animal Care Committee and followed Canadian Beef Cattle Code of Practice and Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines (Hartling et al 2014). Steaks from suckler beef (SB, n = 10) were obtained from 10-mo-old Simmental calves slaughtered directly from pasture.…”