Selection for beef quality traits
P.L. Charteris, D.J. Garrick, S.T. Morris, L.A. Wright
Department of Animal Science, Massey University, Palmerston North,
New Zealand
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1995,
55: 275-277
Records on 24 146 Angus and 5 632 Hereford carcasses processed at
Manawatu Beef Packers between March 1993 and August 1994 which had
been evaluated for beef marbling standard (BMS), beef fat standard (BFS)
and beef colour standard (BCS) were used to derive overall meat quality
score. Overall meat quality score in the Japanese grading system is
determined by the lowest grade from: semi-objective assessment for BMS,
BFS and BCS; and subjective assessment for meat brightness, firmness and
texture, fat lustre and quality. Subjective measures of meat and fat quality
are not routinely recorded at this plant and therefore overall meat quality
score could only account for the three recorded items. The majority of
Angus and Hereford carcasses (84.0 and 82.9%) had an overall meat quality
score of 1 (inferior) and no carcasses had score 5 (excellent). This study
reports the effects of selection to improve Japanese overall meat quality
score by single trait improvement of the three meat quality attributes. A
change of one grade in BMS (or BFS) for Angus carcasses decreased the
proportion of score 1 carcasses to 12.8% (or 74.7%) and improved overall
meat quality score from an average of 1.17 to 1.96 (or 1.29). A change of
one grade in BMS (or BFS) for Hereford carcasses decreased the proportion
of score 1 carcasses to 16.1% (or 66.8%) and changed overall meat quality
score from an average of 1.18 to 1.90 (or 1.35).
Selection based on a well-designed progeny test would take 5 (or 9) years to
improve BMS (or BFS) by one grade. Biological factors introduce a lag of at
least six years from the start of test matings until there can be widespread
harvest of beef animals with improved meat quality. Selection for BMS can
improve overall meat quality score more effectively and more rapidly than
selection for other meat quality traits.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
Angus; Hereford; selection; marbling; fat colour; meat colour
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Last Updated 25-01-1997
