Ways of improving productivity and quality in beef meat production and transformation

Abstract

It is necessary for the whole process of meat production, from animal husbandry to the meat industry, to try to reduce costs and increase quality. Among the major aspects taken into account by researchers, attention is focused in this article on growth physiology, its control by nutrition and breeding, and finally meat technology. Biological characteristics of muscle fibers are closely related to meat quality. As a consequence, the knowledge of the ontogeny of various kinds of muscle fibers in the fetal calf is particularly relevant. Studies on nutritional and hormonal control of muscle growth as well, as the genetic basis of the development of muscular tissue may help to develop beef finishing systems able to produce meat acceptable for the industry and the consumers. Objective methods of estimation of carcass and meat quality are also studied, ’in order to replace the subjective system based on carcass conformation which is still now currently used. The aim is to measure at slaughter, as accurately as possible, the meat yield of the carcass and also the biochemical characteristics of muscle which are responsible for meat quality. Better processing control, from slaughtering, deboning, to conditionning and meat restructuring, also aids progress in the meat industry. Finally, a lot of research programs are devoted to biochemical transformation of muscle into meat after death.

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