The latest eating quality science managing intramuscular fat and tenderness to

improve the consumer eating experience

Dave PethickLis Pannier & the Sheep CRC Meat Science Team

Topics1. Meat Standards Australia – history/current2. New traits

• Shear force tenderness• Intramuscular fat• MSA consumer taste panel

3. Predicting consumer taste panel response4. MSA lamb Mark II – what it might look like ?

Where have we come from ?

Lamb loin tenderness in the 90’s1997/98 retail audit – Safari et al. (2002) n = 907

MSA - underpinned by consumer testing• Tenderness (0 – 100)• Juiciness• Liking of flavour• Overall liking

Unsatisfactory Good every day Better than every day Premium

Science is recognised world wide

Real people – real answers !

Critical Control Points

Value adding

Cooking method

Consumer

Pre-slaughter control

Genetics

Sheep age

Growth path (feed type & finishing)

Pre-slaughter stress

Ageing of meat

Cut/ primal

Hang

Post-slaughter control

Chillers

Juiciness FlavourTenderness Overall Liking

Conception

Selling method

Intramuscular fat

Meat Standards Australia lamb

MSA lamb - current

• Consumer focused model to underpin the eating quality of lamb

• It is a simple ‘in/out’ system with ‘rules’ for– Producers– Processors– Retailers

Requirements eg

• Fat score - GR ≥ 6mm (≥score 2)• No eruption of permanent incisor teeth• pH x temperature requirements (e-stimulation)• Aging of meat for 5 days• ………

Change is possibleMSA data (2005) n = 806, optimal processing, fat & pH

compliant

What’s missing ?

• Continuous improvement• Genetic effects• Carcase grading• Cuts grading

The Information Nucleus(500 sires, 10,000 slaughter lambs)

DORPER

• Juiciness, flavour, tenderness• 4.2 ± 0.04% (Xbred mean)• Ideal 4-6%• Mod/high heritability• Called marbling in beef

New traits (i) intramuscular fat

• Mechanical measure of Tenderness (kg or Newtons)• Higher value = tougher• Measured after electrical stimulation and 5 days aging• Gene markers for this trait in sheep (& beef)• Intramuscular fat reduces it• Mod/high heritability

New traits (ii) shear force tenderness

Important correlations – genetic(2 years data 183 sires, 4,110 progeny)

• LMY vs IMF -ve mod/high BAD

• LMY vs SF5 +ve mod BAD

• IMF vs SF5 -ve high GOOD

LMY = lean meat yieldSF5 = Shear force tenderness day 5IMF = intramuscular fat

So single focused selection on LMY will:

• Increase shear force (tougher)• Reduce intramuscular fat (less juicy, less flavour &

tougher)• BUT LMY is totally important for lamb

So how can we protect eating quality ?

Evolve an MSA Mark II

• Evolve an enhanced MSA lamb model• Incorporating new Sheep CRC information• Manage yield and eating quality• Cuts grading

Eating quality• But what does shear force and IMF mean to

consumers ?• Will they pay more ?• ……

MSA Lamb mark IIGrade cuts into:

2* - Unsatisfactory3* - Good every day4* - Better than every day5* - Premium

n Ungrade 3* 4* 5*

Mean 1,858 49% 100% 147% 200%

Willingness to pay data(Price relative to 3*, n = number consumers)

Australian consumers - lamb

3 star 4 star 5 star

Sire variation – consumer tenderness(Pannier et al. unpublished)

Loin tenderness

Tops

ide

tend

erne

ss

97 sires, 745 lambs, 2 cuts per lamb, grilled

Sire variation – consumer tenderness

Loin tenderness

Tops

ide

tend

erne

ss

16 points

12 points

Likely sufficient to change rating

2* unsatisfactory3* good every day4* better than every day5* premium

Sire variation – consumer tenderness

Loin tenderness

Tops

ide

tend

erne

ss3* 5*4*

Sire variation – consumer tenderness

Loin tenderness

Tops

ide

tend

erne

ss

3*

2*

Remember - this is with ‘optimal’ processing

• All carcases had e-stimulation• Product aged for 5 days

What did consumers say about the 2 cuts ?

Distribution of grades (745 lambs per cut)

2* 3* 4* 5*Short lion - 7 34 35 24 % Topside - 29 48 17 5 %

Can we predict this grade ?

IMF vs MSA consumer score

6

9

9

11

IMF nails juicy and flavour

Shear force vs MSA consumer score

11

7

6

6

Shear force nails tenderness

Other correlates

• Carcase fatness• Carcase muscling• Lean meat yield• Carcase wt• Colour• …………

MSA Mark II

• Currently too hard to measure shear force or intramuscular fat in the abattoir

• Currently cannot grade a lamb carcase commercially• So EQ claims will be underpinned by:

– in part the sires used– ideally carcase measures

Consumer score breeding value• Use std genetic techniques to develop a consumer score

breeding value for sires:– Consumer score– Shear force tenderness– Intramuscular fat– Lean Meat Yield– Other correlates …………

• Support with genomic prediction• Use the breeding value to underpin quality claims

MSA Mark II – 2nd phaseGrade individual carcases for LMY and meat quality

• Develop better LMY prediction ‘on line’• Develop meat quality and IMF measurement ‘on line’

– GR fat-o-meter II probe with electrical impedance– Wide wavelength vision system– Rhaman spectroscopy

These are AMPC/MLA projects in progress

Conclusions

• Current MSA system is a simple no brainer• Processors/retailers are seeing the benefits• We still need producers to sign up – do it today !

• However it does not allow for continuous improvement and lean meat yield interactions

Conclusions

• Meat science phenotypes - shear force tenderness and intramuscular fat– Heritable– We know the key production factors that effect them– Predictive of the consumer score– Interact with lean meat yield

• We will be able to develop a consumer score breeding value

Conclusions

• MSA mark II underpinned by consumer score sire breeding value

• Cuts based grading down star ratings• Will allow us to select for Lean Meat Yield and Eating

quality together

Conclusions

• Processors to their credit are investing in R&D for better carcase measurement systems

• Are we heading for carcase grading at last ?– Lean meat yield– Eating quality

Questions…Questions…

Aussie lamb - premier meat on the Planet!

Quick reality checkGetting 4* cuts in moderate carcase wt Sth beef• Optimal processing ✔

• No hormones ✔

• Get’em young (< about 140 oss = 18-24 months) ✔

• Have just enough marble = solid score 1 (4-6% IMF) ✔

Other correlates e.g LMY vs IMF

LMY breeding value

IMF

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