Identification of quality management practices to reduce the incidence of retail beef tenderness problems: Development and evaluation of a prototype quality system to produce tender beef

A prototype quality system for ensuring beef tenderness was designed and te sted. The test population of cattle was genetically diverse, but it was con strained to include youthful (14- to 17-mo-old) steers with no more than 3/ 8 Bos indicus inheritance. Feeding and preharvest management of the cattle were consistent with procedures recommended for production of grain-finishe d beef of an acceptable quality level. In addition, the target endpoint for harvest (Il-mm external fat thickness over the longissimus at the 12th rib ) resulted in production of mostly Select and low Choice beef carcasses; 92 % of the resulting carcasses qualified for these two grade levels. Applicat ion of the prototype quality system reduced the expected rate of nonconform ance to desired tenderness specifications from about one in four loin steak s (23% for top sirloins and 26% for strip loins) to approximately one in ei ght loin steaks (13% for top sirloins and 12% for strip loins). Tenderness comparisons among sires suggested that the rate of nonconformance for strip loin steaks might be reduced even further by control of genetic inputs int o the system. Use of process control in a quality management system was dem onstrated to be an effective approach for assurance of beef tenderness.