Understanding Beef Quality

In this section:

Eating Quality
Appearance in the Retail Case
Yield of the Beef Carcass

Eating Quality

Eating quality or palatability depends on the flavor, juiciness and tenderness of beef products. Each of these three attributes can be enhanced through good production practices at the farm, as well as at the meat processing facility. Tenderness has commonly been identified as the most important contributor to palatability. Aging beef in temperature-controlled environments results in enhanced tenderness through the actions of natural enzymes which soften muscle fibers. Careful handling of the animal to minimize stress during transport and before stunning is also important. Selection of young cattle for beef production enhances tenderness as typically both the amount of connective tissue (collagen) and the resistance of collagen to breakdown during cooking increases as the animal becomes older. Canada’s A, AA, AAA, and Prime grades permit only beef from cattle classified as youthful.

Appearance in the Retail Case

Product appearance is commonly used to judge the freshness and quality of beef items. Accordingly, a bright red color is a requirement for all of Canada’s high quality beef grades. Canadian beef is typically produced from cattle fed grain including barley, wheat or corn (not grass) during the finishing period, which supports the development of white colored fat that consumers prefer.

Yield of the Beef Carcass

Yield grades provide an estimate of the amount of muscle tissue or lean yield in the carcass. The equations used to predict lean yield rely most strongly on the depth of the fat at the grading site. Yield is influenced by factors such as: animal breed, age, gender and on- farm management practices. The most accurate way to determine yield is through a carcass cutout.

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