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Recent Posts
- 2021 Center of the Plate Training held at Texas A&M University
- October, the start of dark cutting beef season
- 2020 Introductory HACCP Courses and Beyond Basics Workshops announced
- 2019 Center of the Plate Training held at Texas A&M University
- Pork 101™ will be held at Texas A&M University, May 21-23, 2019
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Rosenthal Meat Center
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Companion websites
Category Archives: Quality and Consistency
Window of Acceptability: A 25-year look back
This is the 25th anniversary of one of the most important and significant contributions that Dr. H. Russell Cross and I may have ever made to the livestock and meat industries: the development of the “Window of Acceptability.” This window not only helped demonstrate the amount of fat in meat necessary for tenderness and flavor, but also helped established upper limits so that current-day dietary guidelines for fat intake could be met. The “Window of Acceptability” was part of a presentation we made on “The Role of Fat… Read More →
Line of fat observed in New York Strip Steaks
We received a request to answer the question why there was a line of fat sometimes present in beef strip steaks. A customer of a meat purveyor had requested a credit for this “defect,” and this is the photo that was sent to us to help answer why this line of fat was present. Gatlan Gray, then graduate teaching/research assistant in our program, prepared this response to this question. The line of fat that is sometimes seen in a few New York strip steaks or beef top loin… Read More →
Dr. Ashley Arnold appointed as Research Assistant Professor
Dr. Ashley (Haneklaus) Arnold has been appointed as Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University effective September 1, 2013 under the supervision of Drs. Kerri Harris and Jeff Savell. Dr. Arnold has been involved with the Meat Science program as a student and staff member, and in her new role, she will assist faculty in securing external funding for meat science and food safety research by way of writing grants, conducting research, managing projects, finalizing reports, presenting data at professional meetings, and… Read More →
Discolored edges on beef briskets | Texas Barbecue
Discolored edges on beef briskets Posted by Jeff Savell at Texas Barbecue It is not uncommon these days to pick up a vacuum packaged brisket at a grocery store and see a discolored edge on it. This discoloration may be subtle or it may be quite distinct and is usually gray or brown, which contrasts with the purple color of the meat in the vacuum package (the meat will turn red when removed from the package and exposed to oxygen). The reason for this discoloration is that this… Read More →
Beef producers improve meat quality | ASAS Taking Stock
Beef producers improve meat quality by Laci Jones The National Beef Quality Audit recently published their findings from the 2011 audit in the Journal of Animal Science. The new NBQA shows that producers have improved beef cattle genetics and management. Compared with previous audits, the researchers across the United States found more black-hided cattle, less mud and manure on their hides and more cattle that were individually identified. “Each audit has revealed interesting and important information to cattle producers and others in the beef industry. Most importantly, the… Read More →
Muscular steatosis
Muscular steatosis is a condition where muscle fibers have been replaced by fatty deposits, which creates a striking appearance in cuts of meat with it. Sometimes this condition is simply called “steatosis,” “callous,” “calloused lean” (other spellings include “callus,” “woody callused”), or because it is observed sometimes in the ribbed carcass, in this case, it is called “calloused ribeye.” Swatland (1994) stated that this condition is most often found in beef and pork and is thought to be caused by muscle damage or nerve degeneration where fatty tissue… Read More →
“Maximizing Meat Tenderness” webinar hosted by North American Meat Association, April 24, 2013
Below is a press release from the North American Meat Association regarding an upcoming webinar that I will be participating in. JWS North American Meat Association today announced that it is hosting a 90-minute webinar on “Maximizing Meat Tenderness” on April 24, 2013 at 2pm Eastern time. Consumer research indicates that tenderness is essential to a satisfying eating experience, and meat processors should take full advantage of the factors that contribute to it. This webinar is about controlling these factors and increasing tenderness. It will include indispensable information… Read More →
Persistent pinkness in ground beef patties
Persistent pinkness in cooked ground beef patties is of considerable concern for food service establishments. Consumers view ground beef patties that are pink in the middle as being undercooked and unsafe when, in reality, these patties may be fully cooked and safe to eat. Persistent pinkness can be caused by reducing agents, pH, nitrite contamination, and/or carbon monoxide from gas ovens. Raw beef contains myoglobin, which combines with oxygen to form oxymyoglobin, which has a bright red color. Meat color is regulated (mostly) by a heme ring on… Read More →
National Beef Tenderness Survey – 2010 article published
The February 2013 issue of the Journal of Animal Science contains the National Beef Tenderness Survey – 2010 article. Here is the citation and link to the abstract: Guelker, M. R., A. N. Haneklaus, J. C. Brooks, C. C. Carr, R. J. Delmore, Jr., D. B. Griffin, D. S. Hale, K. B. Harris, G. G. Mafi, D. D. Johnson, C. L. Lorenzen, R. J. Maddock, J. N. Martin, R. K. Miller, C. R. Raines, D. L. VanOverbeke, L. L. Vedral, B. E. Wasser, and J. W. Savell. 2013…. Read More →
National Beef Quality Audit – 2011 articles published
Just received the email notification from the Journal of Animal Science that the three articles on the National Beef Quality Audit we had responsibility for were published in the December issue. Here are the citations for these articles: McKeith, R. O., G. D. Gray, D. S. Hale, C. R. Kerth, D. B. Griffin, J. W. Savell, C. R. Raines, K. E. Belk, D. R. Woerner, J. D. Tatum, J. L. Igo, D. L. VanOverbeke, G. G. Mafi, T. E. Lawrence, R. J. Delmore, Jr., L. M. Christensen, S…. Read More →