Abstract
Beef producers are trying to produce not only better quality but also greater quantity of beef in order to meet the preferences of some consumers at a lower cost. This can be accomplished if we understand the factors regulating lipid deposition in intramuscular adipose tissue and the tenderness of meat. Propylene glycol (PG) might be used as a precursor of intramuscular fat synthesis especially in the late period of fattening because adipose tissue in ruminants is thought to mature sequentially in abdominal, intermuscular, subcutaneous and intramuscular depots. The action of cholecalciferol supplementation has been verified in producing more tender meat through the enhancement of calpain activity over the postmortem ageing period. A synergistic effect can be expected if the dietary cation and anion difference (DCAD) technique is used in combination with dietary supplementation of cholecalciferol. In another approach, the optimization of hormonal implant use also may provide similarly marbled beef at a much lower cost.
Highlights
The world meat industry faces a dual challenge: it must reduce the fat content of meat carcasses in order to provide a nutritious product with a minimum of waste, while not affecting meat palatability
The positive effects of marbling on tenderness and palatability as well as a meat grading system that penalizes carcasses with little marbling make it essential that animals be produced with minimal amounts of fat stored in depots such as the subcutaneous and perirenal depots, without markedly decreasing intramuscular adipose tissue
Adipose tissue depots in ruminants are thought to develop in the order of abdominal, intermuscular, subcutaneous and intramuscular (Vernon, 1981)
Summary
The world meat industry faces a dual challenge: it must reduce the fat content of meat carcasses in order to provide a nutritious product with a minimum of waste, while not affecting meat palatability. The positive effects of marbling on tenderness and palatability as well as a meat grading system that penalizes carcasses with little marbling make it essential that animals be produced with minimal amounts of fat stored in depots such as the subcutaneous and perirenal depots, without markedly decreasing intramuscular adipose tissue. This can be accomplished only if the factors regulating lipid deposition on intramuscular adipose tissue and other fat depots (Nade et al, 2003; Vega et al, 2004) differ substantially (Smith and Crouse, 1984). This paper explores possible interactions between these established mechanisms in an endeavor to optimize animal growth and carcass composition
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