[en] This paper reviews the current state of knowledge on beef carcass and meat quality, with particular emphasis on on-farm and processing factors associated with its high and inconsistent variability. The diversity of livestock systems comes from the diversity of breeds (dairy or beef), ages and gender (bulls, steers, heifers, cull cows) used to produce either mainly beef or beef and milk. In addition, there are factors linked to farming practices (including diet, especially grazing) which significantly influence the sensory, nutritional, technological and extrinsic (such as image) quality attributes of meat. These can become factors of positive differentiation when controlled by the application and certification of technical specifications. Finally, preslaughter (such as stress), slaughter (such as the chilling and hanging method of carcasses) and postslaughter (such as ageing, packaging and cooking) conditions have a strong influence on the microbiological, sensory, technological and image quality attributes of beef. In this review, potential synergisms or antagonisms between the different quality attributes are highlighted. For example, finishing cattle on grass, compared to indoor fattening on a high concentrate diet, has the advantage of producing leaner meat with a higher proportion of omega-3 fatty acids while exhibiting superior oxidative stability, but with the consequence of a darker meat colour and lower productivity, as well as higher seasonality and land surface requirements. Moreover, the control of on-farm factors is often guided by productivity (growth rate, feed conversion ratio) and carcass quality attributes (weight, conformation and fatness). Genetic selection has often been oriented in this direction, without taking other quality attributes into account. Finally, the interactions between all these factors (and especially between on-farm and slaughter or processing factors) are not considered in the quality grading schemes in European countries. This means that positive efforts at farm level may be mitigated or even eliminated by poor slaughtering or processing conditions. All these considerations explain why between-animal variability in quality can be high, even when animals come from the same farming system. The ability to predict the sensory and nutritional properties of meat according to production factors has become a major objective of the supply chain.
Disciplines :
Food science Animal production & animal husbandry Veterinary medicine & animal health
Author, co-author :
Clinquart, Antoine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de sciences des denrées alimentaires (DDA) > Technologie des denrées alimentaires ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals and Health (FARAH) > FARAH: Productions animales durables
Ellies-Oury, M P; Bordeaux Science Agro, 33175 Gradignan, France, Université d'Auvergne, INRAE, Vetagro Sup, UMR Herbivores, 63122 Saint Genès-Champanelle, France
Hocquette, J F; Université d'Auvergne, INRAE, Vetagro Sup, UMR Herbivores, 63122 Saint Genès-Champanelle, France
Guillier, L; Agence nationale de sécurité de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES), Direction de l'évaluation des risques, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
Santé-Lhoutellier, V; INRAE, UR QuaPA, 63122 Saint Genès-Champanelle, France
Prache, S; Université d'Auvergne, INRAE, Vetagro Sup, UMR Herbivores, 63122 Saint Genès-Champanelle, France
Language :
English
Title :
Review: On-farm and processing factors affecting bovine carcass and meat quality.
Publication date :
February 2022
Journal title :
Animal: an International Journal of Animal Bioscience
ISSN :
1751-7311
eISSN :
1751-732X
Volume :
16 Suppl 1
Pages :
100426
Peer reviewed :
Peer reviewed
Funders :
FranceAgriMer [FR] Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire [FR]
Funding text :
This work was carried out with funds from the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food (agreement No 2017-424-2102316438) and the FranceAgriMer agency (agreement No 181911).This work is part of the collective scientific expertise on the ?Quality of animal-derived foods according to animal production and food processing conditions? that was carried out by INRAE at the request of the French ministry responsible for Agriculture and Food, in cooperation with the agency FranceAgriMer. This work was carried out with funds from the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food (agreement No 2017-424-2102316438) and the FranceAgriMer agency (agreement No 181911). This article is part of a supplement entitled ?Quality of animal-source foods?, supported by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment ? INRAE
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