MSA sensory testing of Fletcherview cattle
The MSA sensory testing of Fletcherview cattle project tested eating quality of cuts from entire and castrated male Bos indicus cattle that were either homozygous positive or homozygous negative for the calpastatin gene.
Summary
The use of young entire male cattle for beef production is uncommon in Australia. However, the AUSMeat standards Australia for grass and grain fed yearling cattle allow for the use of young entire male cattle provided that the animals are not showing signs of secondary sexual characteristics.
The production benefits of utilising entire male cattle for beef production are considerable. Consumer sensory analysis could not differentiate between the entire male or castrate treated animals for the following beef cuts: striploin, topside and eye round for any of the clipped sensory scores: tenderness, juiciness, flavour, overall likeability, MQ4 and overall satisfaction. Animals that were homozygous positive for the calpastatin gene marker produced topside cuts that were less tender than striploin and eye round cuts from all other genotypes for calpastatin. Ageing increased the tenderness score by 9 points from 7 to 28 days and by 13.5 points from 7 days to 70 days. Eye rounds from animals that were homozygous positive for calpastatin produced greater juiciness scores than eye rounds from animals that were homozygous negative for calpastatin. Ageing increased juiciness scores with increasing time aged.
Consumers ranked the cuts for flavour from greatest to least as; striploin, eye round and topside. There was a difference of 8.7 points for flavour between the striploin and the topside cuts. Ageing the cuts increased the score given by the consumers by 7.3 points from day 7 to day 70. Overall likeability for the cuts was ranked in the order of greatest to least score as; striploin, eye round and topside by consumers with 12.6 points between the striploin and topside cuts. Ageing the cuts from 7 to 70 days increased the consumers overall likeability score by 9.8 points.
There was no effect due to genotype for overall likeability scores. The consumer MQ4 scores for the cuts were ranked in the order from greatest to least MQ4 score as; striploin, eye round and topside. Ageing the cuts from 7 to 70 days increased the consumers MQ4 score by 9.4 points. Eye rounds from animals that were homozygous positive for calpastatin produced greater satisfaction scores than eye rounds from animals that were homozygous negative for calpastatin. Ageing increased satisfaction scores with increasing time aged. There was no effect due to genotype for satisfaction scores.
When: 14 March 2011 to 30 December 2011
Contact: Lee Fitzpatrick and Anthony Parker
Collaborator: James Cook University
More information
For more information, please read to the final report summary and download the final report (B.NBP.0667) (PDF, 354.1 KB) from the Meat & Livestock Australia website.