The_Ledger_Summer_2020

May Each Month Be BEEF Month

BY MEGAN JEAN WEBB, PH.D., CONTRIBUTING WRITER A s a consumer, I expect the beef I purchase to be palat able and provide a great eat ing experience for my family and me to enjoy, but sometimes it doesn’t. In those cases, not only am I disappointed, but I am even more dis appointed for customers who may be a few generations removed from pro duction agriculture and never return to the retail case or to my ranch or local retail store to make a purchase.

purveyor practices. When we think about producing beef that is tender, it needs to have little background toughness. Background toughness is the bite or springiness that a steak has while it is fragmented when chew ing. Increased toughness is attributed by greater proportions of insoluble collagen. Ultimately, cattle that are younger provide more soluble collagen. Bulls, of course, produce notably tougher beef, and animal breed can influence tenderness, too. British breeds natu rally produce more tender beef than Bos indicus breeds like Brahman because of differences in the pro tein enzyme degradation. To ensure the greatest likelihood of a tender product, cattlemen certainly need to harvest fed cattle before 30 months of age, be cognizant of the value of castration and breed cattle to meet production goals.

Let’s not forget the cook also has an instrumental role in ensuring exceptional palatability. Cooking a product slowly, with moisture, over low heat will help the protein frag ment as the collagen dissolves. This is especially true for cuts that are no tably tougher because they are from muscles used for locomotion such as the round and chuck, compared to more tender cuts from supportive muscle cuts like the rib and loin. When we think about beef juici ness, it is often attributed to the amount of marbling or intramuscular adipose. Marbling is really unique because it not only contributes to beef flavor, but it helps insulate the product during cooking by provid ing “cooking insurance.” It acts as a strain to the muscle by poking holes and weakening the muscle structure. Generally, the more marbling, the greater moisture the product should have.

Fortunately, that is not the experi ence that we are seeing in today’s retail cases as shelves are partially stocked and, repeatedly, we’ve seen an uptick in the purchasing power for protein. The silver lining from COVID-19 is that American farmers, ranchers, food processors, purveyors and the transportation sector have been recognized for their heroic acts of keeping American’s food secure. Another positive is that “fake meat” is remaining on the shelf as real pro tein has the purchasing power. I am excited to know that in the face of a pandemic, Americans are confident in beef. As producers move forward in their respective production segment, it is important to prepare to keep Ameri cans confident in their beef purchases as the supply disruptions become fewer while the front lines manage COVID-19. To ensure beef has repeat able purchases to stabilize the back log of packer chain space, producers must remember that quality is in the eye of the beholder; it starts on the farm or ranch and is carried forward in how the product is destined to be sold. The human palate is quite unique because there are five taste receptors located on the tongue that contribute to sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami flavors. Additionally, aroma, texture, juiciness, mouthfeel and color can also play a unique part in a consum er’s eating experience. Beef with a great eating experience has excellent palatability because of its desirable taste and textural proper ties. Palatability is determined from the combination of tenderness, juici ness and flavor. As producers, we can influence each of these areas based upon production method and desired

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