Shoulder Cuts Research Articles

Carcass dissection and commercial meat yield in Piemontese and Belgian Blue double-muscled young bulls

To study the differences in meat yield in hypertrophied cattle, a commercial dissection trial was carried out on 48 carcasses obtained from 24 Piemontese (P: 12 reared with a restricted feeding, P-R, and 12 fed ad libitum, P-L), and 24 Belgian Blue (B: 12 reared with a restricted feeding, BB-R, and 12 fed ad libitum, BB-L) young bulls. The animals were reared under the same environmental condition and slaughtered at the same age and fattening degree. During commercial dissection, the weights of the retail cuts were recorded. Three fore-quarter meat cuts were heavier in P than in BB, while nine meat cuts (two from fore-quarter and seven from hind-quarter), hind-quarter meat and prime quality meat were heavier in BB than in P. Fat weight was higher in BB than in P, whereas meat production as a percentage of carcass side weight was higher in P than in BB. Only one hind-quarter meat cut was heavier in the ad libitum (L) than in the restricted (R) group, whereas meat yield was higher in R than in L. In comparing the meat yield in carcass sides of P-R, P-L, BB-R and BB-L fed young bulls, four meat cuts (one from fore-quarter and three from hind-quarter), hind-quarter, prime quality and 3rd quality meat were heavier in BB-L ( P ≤ 0.05), while one shoulder cut and fore-quarter were heavier in P-R group.

Porcine somatotropin alters body composition and the distribution of fat and lean tissue in the finisher gilt

The present study was designed to determine whether porcine somatotropin (pST) reduces whole animal and belly fat using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and manual dissection. The study utilised 24 Large White × Landrace gilts selected at 16 weeks of age with an approximate liveweight of 80 kg and housed in individual pens. Gilts were stratified on liveweight into 8 blocks and 1 pig from each block was assigned to either 0, 5 or 10 mg per day of pST. Pigs were fed ad libitum a wheat-based diet containing 200 g crude protein, 10.2 g available lysine and 14.6 MJ DE/kg, to ensure that responses to pST were expressed. Feed intake and liveweight were measured on a weekly basis. An Hologic QDR4500A dual energy X-ray absorptiometer was used to determine lean, fat and ash composition of pigs initially and again 4 weeks later at the end of the experiment. After slaughter, the composition of the whole half carcass as well as the shoulder, ham, belly and loin primal cuts was determined with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and verified with manual dissection. Daily pST treatment decreased feed intake (3440, 2710 and 2537 g/day for 0, 5 or 10 mg pST per day, respectively; P<0.001) and decreased feed conversion ratio (2.95, 2.18 and 2.03 g/g; P<0.001) even though there was no significant effect on daily gain. Pigs treated with pST deposited more lean tissue (620, 839 and 873 g/day; P<0.05) and less fat (384, 218 and 176 g/day; P<0.001) than control animals, but there was no effect of pST on ash deposition. As a consequence, pigs treated with 5 and 10 mg pST/day contained 5 and 9 kg less dissectible fat than control gilts, respectively. A dose dependent decrease in belly, loin, ham and shoulder fat was also observed, although the decrease in belly fat was more pronounced than for the whole carcass and other primal cuts. Overall, pST treatment has the potential to decrease carcass and especially belly fat in pigs and increase consumer acceptance of pork in markets that place a premium on carcass fat and lean yield in the belly region. The results determined with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry were confirmed by manual dissection.

Interrelationships between porcine somatotropin (pST), betaine, and energy level on body composition and tissue distribution of finisher boars

Fifty-six individually penned boars (initial weight 64 kg) were used to investigate the interactions between dietary betaine, dietary energy, and porcine somatotropin (pST) treatment. The study was a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment with the respective factors being dietary betaine (0 or 1.5 g/kg) and energy level (80% or 100% ad libitum) and treatment with pST (0 or 5 mg/day). A Hologic QDR4500A Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometer (DXA) was used to determine body composition of pigs at the beginning and end of the study at Day 35. After slaughter, the composition of the whole half-carcass as well as the shoulder, ham, belly, and loin primal cuts was determined with DXA and verified with manual dissection. The main effects of dietary betaine were most pronounced when dietary energy was restricted. Under these conditions, daily gain was increased by dietary betaine (1188 v. 1271 g/day, P = 0.049) and pST (1115 v. 1344 g/day, P < 0.001). When dietary energy was restricted, lean tissue deposition was increased by dietary betaine (830 v. 908 g/day, P = 0.032) and pST (764 v. 974 g/day, P < 0.001), and these effects were additive. As a result, the lean meat yield in the half-carcass was increased by both dietary betaine (23.9 v. 25.1 kg, P = 0.043) and pST (23.3 v. 25.7 kg, P < 0.001). Lean tissue responses in primal cuts were more variable but followed a similar pattern. There was little effect of either dietary betaine or pST on fat deposition. These data demonstrate that when energy intake is limiting the potential for growth (as is normally the case for the improved boar), then both dietary betaine and pST treatment, either alone or in combination, can increase lean tissue deposition without increasing fat deposition.

Carcass characteristics and meat quality attributes of rams maintained on processed deoiled mahua ( Brassica latifolia) seed cake

Sixteen crossbred rams were allotted to four groups with four animals in each. Rams in the control group were supplied requisite quantity of standard ration consisting of maize 32%, groundnut cake 32%, wheat bran 33%, mineral mixture 2% and common salt 1%. All animals were offered green fodder at the rate of 200 g and ad lib. wheat straw. Ten months feeding was followed by slaughter studies. Slaughter weight, edible and nonedible offals of rams did not differ significantly among different groups. A gradual decline tendency in dressed weight was not significant. Carcass length (60.63 to 62.75 cm) was not influenced by the dietary treatments. Higher ( P < 0.01) dressing percentage was recorded in controls compared to experimental groups. Weight and percentage yield of wholesale cuts did not differ significantly. Leg and shoulder cuts recorded higher proportion of lean meat than other cuts. Inclusion of deoiled mahua ( Brassica latifolia) seed cake (DMSC), irrespective of treatment decreased the fat content of different cuts. Differences in salt-extractable proteins and nonprotein nitrogenous substances of meat were significant ( P < 0.05) among groups. There was an insignificant slight decrease in texture and bitterness in different groups. It was evident that the feeding of DMSC results in leaner carcasses, as desired by health-conscious people, and quality attributes of meat were not affected by the treatments.

Carcass composition in Romanov and crossbred male lambs from 10 to 34 weeks of age and its association with testosterone concentration

Changes in testosterone concentration ( T), carcass composition and tissue distribution were studied in 42 Romanov (R) and 42 Booroola-DLS (DLS is a new synthetic breed) crossbred lambs (B-DLS) slaughtered at 4 wk intervals from 10 to 34 wk of age. The carcasses were divided into leg, loin and shoulder cuts and the left side of each was dissected into lean, fat and bone tissues. T increased linearly ( P < 0.01) with age in R lambs starting from 3.8 ng mL −1 at 10 wk of age to reach 13 ng mL −1 at 34 wk. The corresponding figures for the B-DLS lambs were 0.8 and 8.0 ng mL −1, respectively. The difference between the two genotypes in T was significant ( P < 0.05) at all ages except at 14 wk. Romanov lambs had higher shoulder (about 2%) and lower loin and leg proportions than B-DLS, however, most of these differences were non-significant. With advance in age in both genotypes, a tendency was observed for the proportion of the loin cut in the carcass to increase (2%), and that of leg to decrease (2%), whereas the proportion of shoulder varied within a narrow range. The ratios of carcass cuts ( shoulder loin , shoulder leg and leg loin ) were consistently higher in R than in B-DLS lambs especially at younger ages, however, most of the differences were non-significant. Romanov lambs had consistently higher lean, lower fat ( P < 0.05) and similar bone proportions at various ages as compared with B-DLS lambs. Muscle fat ratio was higher in R throughout the growth period and particularly at younger ages ( P < 0.01). The two genotypes differed with increase in age only in the proportion of loin in the carcass ( P < 0.05) and fat in the shoulder ( P < 0.01). The regression on T levels showed a significant genotype difference for all the traits studied, except for the proportion of carcass leg cut. T affected fat and bone ( P < 0.01) but not lean proportions in the carcass and wholesale cuts. The correlations of T with total fat, bone and lean were 0.49 ( P < 0.01), −0.46 ( P < 0.01) and −0.24 for R; and 0.49 ( P < 0.01), −0.50 ( P < 0.01) and −0.18 for B-DLS, respectively. It is concluded that the morphological and anatomical differences in carcass and tissue composition observed between R and B-DLS cross cannot be explained by differences in T concentrations. Other factors, probably of genetic origin, are responsible for these differences, since they are manifested at a very young age and do not change with advance in age.

Use of chevon in the development of low-fat meat products.

Chevon (goat meat) is a low-fat red meat and thus may be an excellent source of lean in the preparation of low-fat meat products. This paper examines some of the textural, nutrient, and sensory properties of chevon products prepared from whole or comminuted muscle. Chops (2.54 cm thick) from the leg were either broiled at 232 degrees C or microwaved at a power level of 900 W. Results indicated that broiled chevon chops were not significantly different (P > .05) from microwaved chops in dimensional change, cooking yield, and instrumental force need to shear but were darker in color and had a significantly lower fat content than microwaved chops. Chevon patties were prepared from shoulder cuts by either grinding or chopping and cooked by pan-frying, broiling, or baking. Shear values were significantly affected by the method of comminution; grinding yielded patties with lower shear values. Pan-frying produced the highest cooking yields and shear values but the lowest fat content and instrumental lightness color values compared to the other cooking methods. Ground meat patties with an initial fat content between 4.6 and 13.8% were made with chevon and beef. The pan-fried patties made with 60% or more chevon gave higher (P < .05) cooking yields. However, a higher chevon content also resulted in significantly darker patties with higher shear values. Both consumer and trained sensory panels found similar sensory properties in patties having less than 60% chevon and more than 40% beef.

Yield grade and carcass weight effects on the cutability of lamb carcasses fabricated into innovative style subprimals.

Lamb carcass (n = 100) were selected from USDA yield grades (YG) 2, 3, and 4 and carcass weight (CW) groups 20.4 to 24.9, 25.0 to 29.5, and 29.6 to 34.0 kg. Lamb carcass were fabricated into semiboneless and boneless subprimals and trimmed to three s.c. fat trim levels: .64, .25, and .00 cm of fat remaining. Innovative subprimals were fabricated and yields were calculated for the subprimals and dissectible components (lean, bone, connective tissue, external fat, and seam fat) from each of the various subprimals. Carcass weight as a main effect in a two-way analysis of variance did not account for a significant amount of the variation in yield among trimmed subprimals or the percentage of the dissectible components, but USDA YG was a significant main effect in determining variation in yield for many of the subprimals or dissectible components. Muscle seaming of shoulders and legs and removal of excessive tails on the loin and rack resulted in a majority of the seam fat being removed from these cuts. Dissection data clearly showed that seam fat is a major component of rack and shoulder cuts and with increasing fatness or higher numerical yield grade there are clearly increased amounts of this depot. Increased trimming of external fat magnifies and draws more attention to the amount of seam fat remaining. Production of heavy, lean lambs would be more useful in an innovative type of program because of the larger-sized muscles. Heavy, fat lambs would not be as useful because of their decreased yields and excess seam fat located in cuts that cannot be muscled-seamed because of the loss of retail cut integrity. Seam fat was highly correlated to percentage of kidney and pelvic fat and to external fat thickness and with USDA yield grade but was not strongly correlated to carcass weight.

Mineral composition of lamb carcasses from the United States and New Zealand

The mineral composition—iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), fluoride (F), and phosphorus (P) (New Zealand lamb only)—of lean tissue from lamb retail cuts was studied. Twenty-four US lamb carcasses of different ages (5 to 11 months), geographical regions (Texas, Colorado and Montana) and USDA quality grades (Prime and Choice) and 27 New Zealand lamb carcasses from three weight groups (11 to 12·5 kg, 13 to 14·5 kg, and 16·5 to 18 kg), age rangining from 7 to 8 months, were selected for use in this study. Mineral concentrations were influenced more by retail cut and age than by quality grade or weigth group. Foreshank and shoulder cuts from both the US and New Zealand group consistently had the highest ( P < 0·05) Zn content among the cuts. The K content of the muscle in US lambs increased as age increased, while the level of Ca and Zn in New Zealand lambs decreased as carcass weight increased. Except for Ca, the mineral concentrations of the lean tissue from US lambs were higher than the New Zealand lambs, although the differences were not always significant. US lambs had approximately 20%, 30% and 37% more Fe, Zn and Mg, respectively, but 27% less Ca than lean tissue from the New Zealand lambs.

THE ACCUMULATIVE EFFECT OF FINNSHEEP BREEDING IN CROSSBREEDING SCHEMES: GROWTH AND CARCASS TRAITS

Entire male lambs born in 1980 and 1981 were fed ad libitum for 8 wk a ration of grass and legume silage supplemented with grain mixture. The lambs represented the DLS breed (Dorset-Leicester-Suffolk) and six of its crosses with the Finnsheep rams (F) ranging from 1/8F to 6/8F. The lambs were slaughtered at about 43 kg liveweight and measurements of length, heart girth and circumference of leg were taken on the chilled carcasses. The carcasses were then divided into leg, loin-rack and shoulder cuts and each was expressed as a percentage of the whole weight. Kidney and pelvic fat were separated and weighed. The 12th rib cut was dissected into fat, bone and muscle and the percentage of each was calculated. The area of the two loin-eye muscles of the 12th rib and three measurements of backfat over that muscle were measured and averaged. The percent fat in the loin-eye muscle was determined by ether extraction. Birth weights were heaviest in DLS and 1/8F (P &lt; 0.01) and decreased with the increase in the Finn proportion in the cross. At weaning (adjusted for 70 days) the 4/8F cross was the heaviest (23.2 kg) whereas the 6/8F was the lightest (20.2 kg). Little difference was observed between genetic groups in feed conversion. However, 6/8F and 5/8F groups made the fastest gain on test (P &lt; 0.01). There was a difference between years in the gain made during the 8-wk feeding test probably as a result of changes in the feeding levels. The differences among genetic groups in age at slaughter were nonsignificant. The Finn crosses had generally longer and deeper carcasses than the DLS which in turn showed more leg development than most crosses. Although dressing percentage increased slightly with the increase in Finn proportion, it was relatively low ranging from 41.2 to 44.1%. DLS and 1/8F lambs had higher percentages of leg and lower percentages of shoulder than crosses with high Finn proportions. These latter had higher percentage of kidney fat. DLS lambs had higher percentages of lean and bone and lower percentages of fat in the 12th rib than the Finn crosses. They also had a larger area of loin-eye than most crosses and thinner backfat than all crosses. The only characters which showed a linear trend with the increase in Finn proportion were those related to body fat deposition. Key words: Finnsheep crosses, growth, carcass traits, DLS sheep

Enzymic starch-degrading ability of meat and blood plasma in products after processing

The starch-degrading activity of beef muscles, commercial beef and pork cuts and of bovine blood plasma was studied. Beef sirloin and shoulder cuts were shown to contain enzymes capable of degrading starch. The activity corresponded to an increase in reducing equivalent of about 400–600 μequiv per 100 g fat free muscle per minute. In the commercial meat cuts, the starch-degrading activity of pork was higher than that of beef. In bovine blood plasma and potato flour mixtures starch degradation was observed in samples that were heated and subsequently stored. The most extended starch degradation was found in samples heated to 60°C prior to storage. In meat sausages the maximum starch degradation during storage was obtained when samples were heated to 70°C. The increase in reducing equivalents during 7 days' storage at 6°C corresponded to the hydrolysis of about one-third of the starch content of the sausage. Most of the increase in the reducing ability was detectable as glucose, indicating that a major part of the enzymic starch degradation resulted in free glucose. No decrease in the overall number of glucose equivalents was observed in the meat sausages during storage. The implication of starch degradation for the textural quality of sausages is discussed.

Factors controlling the growth of Clostridium botulinum types A and B in pasteurized cured meats IV. The effect of pig breed, cut and batch of pork

SummaryPork slurries were prepared from leg or shoulder muscle from three animals from each of three breeds of pig (Pietrain, Gloucester Old Spot and Large White × Landrace cross). Slurries (pork:water, 1:1.5) contained NaNO2 (100 μ/g), NaCl (2.5, 3.5 or 4.5% w/v on the water), were subjected to one of three heat treatments (unheated, 80°C for 7 min, 80°C for 7 min plus 70°C for 1 hr) and stored at 35, 20, 17.5 or 15°C for up to 6 months to determine the relative effects of the above factors on growth (spoilage) and toxin production by Clostridium botulinum types A and B at 103 spores per bottle.Increasing salt or heat treatment, or decreasing storage temperature or inoculum level all reduced spoilage and toxin production. Both ‘animal’ and ‘cut’ significantly affected spoilage and toxin production. More spoilage and toxin production occurred in meat from the shoulder cut than from the leg cut. In both cases there was considerable variation between animals within breed, but there was no systematic difference between breeds. There is no obvious explanation for the variation in meat between animals, but it should be borne in mind when planning and assessing results of large multifactor experiments. Although there was more spoilage and toxin production after 6 months' than 3 months' storage, the statistical analyses yielded essentially similar conclusions.

Sheep carcasses and their appraisal. 1. Characteristics of commercial Australian lamb and mutton

Lamb and mutton carcases from abattoirs, and from wholesale and retail outlets, were studied to provide information on the characteristics of typical commercial Australian sheep carcases. Characteristics examined were the weight, length (pubic symphysis to first rib), subcutaneous fat depth (13th rib) and fleshing index (shape) of intact carcases, fat depths on the loin, shoulder and chump cuts, weights and proportions of wholesale lamb cuts, before and after trimming of excess fat, and Warner-Bratzler shear measures of tenderness for lamb and mutton. Lamb carcases studied varied considerably in weight, shape and fatness, with fat depth measurements of up to 30 mm being recorded on some chump cuts. The proportion of trimmed major cuts of lamb varied from 61.3 to 75.7% of cold carcase weight. Because of the large variability in fatness and the considerable variation in trimmed cut proportions, we consider that appraisal systems for lamb should aim to discriminate between carcases on these bases. Variation in eating quality of lamb may offer less ground for discriminating between carcases, as shear values for lamb were observed to be small. Shear values for medial M. longissirnus cores were generally greater than those for lateral cores in both lamb and mutton, though differences were significant (P &lt; 0.05) only for lamb. Mutton carcases were more variable in their characteristics and yielded meat with greater shear values (P &lt; 0.05) than lamb. However in many cases, shear values for mutton samples were also quite small. It was reasoned that potential could exist for greater utilization of two- and possibly also four-tooth animals as sources of table meat.

The effect of carcass posture on cold, heat and thaw shortening in lamb

SummaryToughening due to cold and heat shortening in lamb is prevented by setting carcasses in rigor mortis in a standing posture. The toughening of thaw rigor in early‐frozen lamb is also prevented in the leg and shoulder cuts but not in the loins.If the frozen lamb legs from the pre‐rigor carcasses are cut into steaks and grilled then thawing is so rapid that shortening and toughening accompany the onset of thaw rigor. This ‘grilling toughening’ is overcome by slow thawing of loins and leg steaks before cooking.

FLAVOUR STUDIES ON PORK FROM HOGS FED FISH SILAGE

Meat from hogs fed fish silage as a protein supplement was compared with that from hogs fed soybean oilmeal using the scores from a taste panel and from a thiobarbituric acid test as indices of its acceptability to the consumer. The tests were conducted upon non-cured shoulder cuts that had been frozen for storage and thawed just before oven-cooking.A moderate off-flavour was detected by the taste panel on the meat from hogs fed fish silage. This off-flavour was greater on the fat portion of the meat than on the lean. The intensity of the off-flavours was not affected by the removal of fish silage from the ration of hogs at 170 pounds body weight as compared to the continuous feeding of fish silage to market weight The off-flavour was considered sufficient to make the meat undesirable to the consumer.The thiobarbituric acid test failed to show any differences between the fat from hogs fed fish silage and the fat from hogs that received soybean oilmeal.