Abstracts - Process et Technologies

Many studies have confirmed the positive impact of marbling on the overall palatability of meat. Thus, this criterion has been chosen by the French beef interbranch organization (INTERBEV) as a priority to better meet consumers expectations. However, husbandry practices that enhance marbling deposition are partially known. The objective of the present study was to identify practices which allow to produce marbled meat from females of beef breeds (Limousin and Charolais). Carcass measurements were carried out in slaughterhouses with the new French marbling grid (from 1: no marbling, to 6: very high marbling). Then, two farm’s groups were separated: one group producing carcasses with low marbling (Pers-: marbling score of 2.2 ± 0.8) and another group producing high marbling carcasses (Pers+: marbling score of 3.7 ± 0.9). Interviews of farmers were conducted to collect husbandry practices in an attempt to explain marbling levels. The results indicate two important nutritional periods that can affect marbling: 1) between 5 and 12 months of age, a period encompassing the “marbling window” already identified for Anglo-Saxon breeds, and 2) during finishing. The differences between the two extreme groups are important during these two periods. Indeed, between 5 and 12 months, farmers of the Pers+ group distribute concentrate during a longer period (5.1 ± 2.4 months) than farmers of the Pers- group (2.6 ± 2.0 months). Moreover, farmers of the Pers+ group distribute more concentrate than farmers of the Pers- group (around 30% of Pers+ farmers give it ad libitum vs 0% for the Pers- group). The fattening periods are longer for the Pers+ group (5.7 ± 1.4 months) than for the Pers- group (2.9 ± 0.9 months). In addition, energy levels during fattening are higher in the Pers+ group (+1.3 UFV/d compared to the Pers- group). The efficiency, technical and economic feasibility of the practices identified in this study must be confirmed in experimental farms to make them operational.

The importance of fat infiltration in meat for organoleptic quality has recently been demonstrated once again. As a result, marbling is a key area of research for INTERBEV (the French bovine meat interbranch organisation) with the aim of improving meat quality for consumers. An action plan has been set up and the Institut de l'Elevage (IDELE) has developed a measurement grid for INTERBEV enabling slaughterers to measure this criterion. The marbling level of French carcasses measured with this method has not yet been studied. The objective of this study is to take stock of marbling levels in French breeds and to identify the links between carcasses characteristics (age, weight, conformation, fatness) and marbling. The aim of the study is to provide the meat industry with references to help it meet consumer demands, particularly from an organoleptic point of view.

The role of marbling in beef and lamb quality - development, importance, measurement, harmonisation
This session, presented at the EAAP meeting in Florence on September 2nd, 2024, described research on marbling or intramuscular fat in beef and lamb. An overview of marbling development was presented with the important roles of genetics in terms of intramuscular adipocytes proliferation and location and muscle growth, along with the role of nutrition and animal age during finishing. The advent of new tools to measure intramuscular fat on-line has led to the development of a new Meat Standards Australian model to predict the eating quality of lamb based on balancing lean meat yield and intramuscular fat. Other technologies based on general lipid chemistry of muscle tissue such as Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) shows great promise to classify both flavour liking and the overall quality grade given by consumers to cook beef cuts. Finally, chemical intramuscular fat is proposed as the best method for underpinning future carcass grading schemes that currently use visual appraisal of marbling.

Marbling is defined as fat infiltration between muscular fibers. Some recent studies confirm the positive impact of this criterion on the overall palatability of meat. This is why INTERBEV (the interbranch of the meat industry) has chosen to work on this criterion to meet consumer’s expectations in terms of organoleptic quality. An action plan has been drawn up on this topic and the measurement of marbling is the first step to be taken. It’s important to be able to measure this criterion to better understand how to manage it. In addition, the interbranch is proposing that slaughterhouses measure marbling to measure marbling to complete the other parameters (such as conformation, fatness score, carcass weight,…) that already exist, in order to better meet consumer expectations. IDELE (the French livestock institute) has developed a French grid, adapted to the French context to assess marbling levels. The grid has been tested in slaughterhouse and performances are satisfying. The grid has therefore been validated by IDELE and INTERBEV and an interbranch agreement supervises marbling measurements and defines how the grid is to be used. Studies are underway to improve reliability and efficiency of marbling measurements in vivo and on carcasses thanks to new technologies (artificial intelligence).

In Australia, quality assessment of the beef rib eye according to AUS-MEAT chiller assessment and MSA standards provides a means of describing saleable meat characteristics. One of the characteristics visually assessed is the amount of marbling. In Europe, a growing interest to evaluate the amount of marbling in beef rib eye is observed among slaughterhouses. Objective measurement technologies ensuring consistent, precise and standardised grading which can be adopted by the beef industry has in recent years become more and more important. The Q-FOM^TM Beef camera is an objective equipment that predicts the marbling score and chemical intramuscular fat percentage (IMF%). This paper summarises the prediction accuracy and precision of MSA marbling and chemical IMF% by the Q-FOM^TM Beef camera in Australian beef carcasses, quartered at 10th-13th rib, and European beef carcasses, quartered at the 4th-6th rib. The Q-FOM^TM Beef is highly accurate and predicts the MSA marbling score with a precision of approximately 50 MSA marbling points and chemical IMF 1.3% at both quartering sites. These results are important for both European and Australian beef industries. The Q-FOM^TM Beef camera is commercially available and suited for grading both at grading stations and in chiller.

For European abattoirs, the preferred carcass grading site is the 5th rib and cutting between the 10th and the 13th rib as in Australia is not desired as it could lead to a lower economic value of the carcass. Consequently, the aim of this study was to compare marbling, meat color and fat color grading scores on M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum at the 5th and the 10th thoracic vertebrae. The impact on beef eating quality prediction using the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading scheme was then evaluated for cull cows, which produce most of the beef consumed in France. Carcasses from 208 French cattle, mainly Limousine cows, were graded according to the Australian Beef Chiller Assessment System (ABCAS) used to implement the MSA system and its European equivalent, the 3G system. There was no significant difference between the 5th rib and the 10th rib in marbling score, and therefore in muscle global quality scores (MQ4) and in carcass MSA index calculated from the marbling values of the 5th or the 10th ribs. However, meat color was significantly darker and fat color significantly more yellow at the 10th rib than at the 5th rib. In France, marbling must be evaluated at the M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum at the 5th thoracic vertebrae according to the current interprofessional grid. The results of this study suggest that it could technically be carried out at this level according to MSA/3G standards for research on cattle breeds in Europe. However, further investigation and adjustments would be required for other critical carcass MSA/3G scores (such as rib fat thickness) when using European carcass quartering practices.