The National Beef Quality Audits (NBQA) have been conducted since 1991 to provide guidance for the beef industry to improve the quality and consistency of the U.S. fed steer and heifer population, and ultimately improve beef demand. Funded by the beef checkoff, the most recent NBQA provides a glimpse of how much the beef industry has changed in the last 20 years.
Conducted in three phases, the 2011 NBQA is the most comprehensive to date.
Forty-one industry leaders representing every segment of beef production met to review the results of the research phases and develop a blueprint strategy to provide new guideposts for improving the quality and consistency of the U.S. beef supply.
One thing that hasn’t changed in the last 20 years is consumers’ desire for an enjoyable beef eating experience. End-users’ “willingness to pay” was evaluated for the first time in the 2011 audit, and food safety and eating satisfaction were important across the board—a clear sign that these beef attributes are fundamental demand drivers.
During the strategy workshop, industry leaders representing every segment of beef production reviewed the audit results and collaborated to determine what the ideal quality grade consist should be. Phase II research revealed an increase in the number of carcasses grading USDA Choice and Prime (61%) since the first audit conducted in 1991 (55%); however, not enough carcasses meet the consist goal for the Prime category. A lost value opportunity of $25.25 per head is the result of falling short of the goal across all quality grades.
Improving quality grade starts at the cow-calf level, and includes a variety of components that contribute to the overall quality and consistency of the beef supply.
Table 1. Quality Grade Consist Goal Versus Actual
|
Prime |
Upper 2/3 Choice |
Low Choice |
Select |
Actual |
2.7% |
22.9% |
38.6% |
31.5% |
Goal |
5.0% |
21.0% |
33.0% |
31.0% |
Beef quality grading uses the marbling score assigned to the ribeye muscle of a carcass to predict palatability and sort carcasses into like categories. Degree of marbling is the primary determination of quality grade. Beef quality grading is a voluntary program offered to packers by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS).
There are several things that can be done postharvest to improve beef tenderness, such as aging and mechanical tenderization. However, the implementation of pre-harvest management practices
is critical to maintaining the success already achieved in improving quality grade and the ability to recapture lost value by increasing the number of carcasses meeting quality grade goals. Pre-harvest management tools for improving beef quality include:
Control of breed/genetic inputs
If an animal is stressed to the point that glycogen is depleted from muscle tissue, it can lead to a high final muscle pH that creates an undesirable dark lean color (“dark cutting” beef).
Marbling: The white flecks of fat interspersed within the muscle (intramuscular fat).
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Quality Grades: A composite evaluation of factors that affect palatability of meat (tenderness, juiciness, and flavor). These factors include carcass maturity, firmness, texture, and color of lean, and the amount and distribution of marbling within the lean. Beef carcass quality grading is based on (1) degree of marbling and (2) degree of animal maturity (based on physiological maturity).
Instrument grading: Quality grading was performed solely by trained USDA graders since the program’s inception in 1926. In 2006, the USDA-AMS approved the use of instrument grading as an alternative. Beef processing plants can utilize either USDA graders or approved instrument grading technology to categorize beef carcasses by quality and yield grade.