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By: Russel Horvey,
Beef Forage Specialist,
Alberta Ag Info Centre,
Alberta
Agriculture & Food
Stettler, AB. Phone 310-FARM
In
Canada
meat quality is measured by the amount of intramuscular fat in meat,
which is referred to as marbling.
The meat quality grades in
Canada
are A, AA, AAA, with single A grade beef having the least amount of
marbling and triple AAA grade beef having the most, with the exception
of Canadian Prime which has a slightly abundant amount of marbling.
Marbling improves the flavor, juiciness and tenderness of beef.
How is intramuscular fat different from subcutaneous fat?
Subcutaneous fat is laid down on the outside of the carcass,
while intramuscular fat is laid down within the muscle.
As the amount intramuscular fat or marbling increases the
quality of the beef improves. As
the amount of subcutaneous fat on the outside of the carcass increases
the quality beef goes down.
An excessive amount of external fat reduces the value of the
beef.
What nutrient increases the amount of fat laid down?
Extra energy in a diet will produce additional fat.
Fat is produced when the energy supplied exceeds the energy
required for maintenance and production, (growth in feeders).
Is intramuscular fat & subcutaneous fat laid down differently?
Yes, subcutaneous external fat can be laid down more quickly
towards the end of the growth curve, as the animal’s growth rate
slows down. Intramuscular
fat is laid down more slowly and is laid down continuously throughout
the lifetime of a feeder.
Why is it important to understand this difference in the way fat is
laid down? It is
important to understand the difference in how fat is laid down.
If the slow continuous production of intramuscular fat is
interrupted during the growth of a feeder, it can not be compensated
for by feeding extra energy later in the finishing phase.
This common practice only increases the amount of subcutaneous
fat on a carcass.
What things might interrupt the production of intramuscular fat?
Drought, lack of milk, weaning, late castration and long
distance trucking are a few examples of things that can interrupt the
deposition of intramuscular fat.
Treating sick animals more than once has also been shown to
reduce the likelihood of adequate marbling.
What management practices will improve marbling
in beef? First
cattle must have the genetics for marble, or no management practice
will improve marbling. Assuming
the cattle have the genetics to marble, anything that reduces stress
and not limit the intake of high quality feed will allow for the
continuous deposition of intramuscular fat, resulting in increased
marbling. A few management
things to do are: castrating early, creep feeding, low stress weaning,
and vaccinating to reduce the likelihood of sickness.
Understanding the differences between
subcutaneous and intramuscular fat deposition and managing animals to
continuously deposit intra-muscular fat can improve marbling grades.
Quick Facts
How do we measure for meat quality in
Canada
?
In
Canada
meat quality is measured by the amount of intramuscular fat in meat,
which is referred to as marbling.
The meat quality grades in Canada are A, AA, AAA, with single A
grade beef having the least amount of marbling and triple AAA grade
beef having the most, with the exception of Canadian Prime which has a
slightly abundance amount of marbling.
Marbling improves the flavor, juiciness and tenderness of beef.
How is intramuscular fat different from subcutaneous fat?
Subcutaneous fat is laid down on the outside of the carcass,
while intramuscular fat is laid down within the muscle.
As the amount intramuscular fat increases the quality of the
beef improves. As the
amount of subcutaneous fat increases the quality beef goes down.
An excessive amount of external fat reduces the value of the
beef.
What nutrient increases the amount of fat laid down?
Extra energy in a diet will produce additional fat.
Fat is produced when the energy supplied exceeds the energy
required for maintenance and production, (growth in feeders).
Is intramuscular fat & subcutaneous fat
laid down differently?
Yes, subcutaneous external fat can be laid down more quickly
towards the end of the growth curve, as the animal’s growth rate
slows down. Intramuscular
fat is laid down more slowly and is laid down continuously throughout
the lifetime of a feeder.
Why is it important to understand this difference in the way
fat is laid down?
It is important to understand the difference in how fat is
laid down. If the slow
continuous production of intramuscular fat is interrupted during the
growth of a feeder, it can not be compensated for by feeding extra
energy later in the finishing phase.
This common practice only increases the amount of subcutaneous
fat on a carcass.
What things might interrupt the production of
intramuscular fat?
Drought, lack of milk, weaning, late castration and long
distance trucking are a few examples of things that can interrupt the
deposition of intramuscular fat.
Treating sick animals more than once has also been shown to
reduce the likelihood of adequate marbling.
What management practices will improve marbling in beef?
First cattle must have the genetics for marble, or no
management practice will improve marbling.
Assuming the cattle have the genetics to marble, anything that
reduces stress and not limit the intake of high quality feed will
allow for the continuous deposition of intramuscular fat, resulting in
increased marbling. A few
management things to do are: castrate early, creep feed, low stress
wean, and vaccinate to reduce the likelihood of sickness.
Understanding the differences between subcutaneous and intramuscular
fat deposition and managing animals to continuously deposit
intra-muscular fat can improve marbling grades.
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