NATIONAL BEEF QUALITY AUDIT - SURVEY OF PRODUCER-RELATED DEFECTS AND CARCASS QUALITY AND QUANTITY ATTRIBUTES

Citation
Cl. Lorenzen et al., NATIONAL BEEF QUALITY AUDIT - SURVEY OF PRODUCER-RELATED DEFECTS AND CARCASS QUALITY AND QUANTITY ATTRIBUTES, Journal of animal science, 71(6), 1993, pp. 1495-1502
Citations number
19
Categorie Soggetti
Agriculture Dairy & AnumalScience
Journal title
ISSN journal
00218812
Volume
71
Issue
6
Year of publication
1993
Pages
1495 - 1502
Database
ISI
SICI code
0021-8812(1993)71:6<1495:NBQA-S>2.0.ZU;2-9
Abstract
To assess the then-current population of fed beef cattle for quality d efects, the federally inspected beef steer and heifer slaughter in 28 packing plants was surveyed during a 3-mo period (October to December 1991). Data were collected over the course of 1 d of production at cha in speed. Carcasses were selected randomly to include 50 and 10% of ea ch lot on the slaughter floor and in the cooler, respectively. Slaught er floor defects evaluated were brand location and size, degree of bru ising, grubs and injection sites, condemnation of offal, and the prese nce of mud and horns. USDA grade factors and other data were collected in the cooler. The distribution of hot-iron brand sears on the hide f or the sample was as follows: cattle with no brand, 55.0%; cattle with butt brands, 29.9%; cattle with side brands, 13.8%; and cattle with s houlder brands, .8%. In addition, 83.3, 85.6, 76.6, 97.3, 99.9, and 99 .8% of the carcasses had no superficial bruising in the chuck, rib, lo in, round, brisket, and other areas of the carcass, respectively. The incidence of viscera condemnations for livers, lungs, tripe, and total viscera were 19.2, 5.1, 3.5, and .1%, respectively. Means for the car cass traits were as follows: USDA yield grade, 3.1; hot carcass weight , 344.7 kg; adjusted fat thickness, 1.5 cm; longissimus muscle area, 8 3.4 cm2; kidney, pelvic, and heart fat, 2.2%; USDA quality grade, high Select; marbling score, Small-minus; and overall maturity, A69.