KEY research aimed at growing the number of cattle graded by Australia's world-leading eating quality program Meat Standards Australia is coming to a peak in the next few months.
MSA is a paddock-to-plate program through the entire Australian red meat supply chain that addresses critical control points that impact eating quality, such as genetics, carcase traits, processing interventions and cooking method.
Around 48,000 producers, 39 beef and 14 sheep processors, 209 brands and nearly 3500 end users, such as wholesalers and retailers, participate today in the program, which was established over two decades ago to improve the eating quality consistency in red meat.
MSA for beef is backed by more than 180,000 consumers tasting in excess of 1.2 million samples, in 12 countries around the world.
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MSA program manager David Packer said that in 2020/21 more than 3.3 million cattle were MSA graded which was just over half the national adult cattle slaughter, the largest proportion of MSA graded cattle since the program's inception.
While many cattle are eligible, there are some production pathways that are not part of the MSA program, hence continued research to work towards the goal of making all cattle eligible for MSA grading.
To that end, research is underway to investigate the impact of rail consignment and further saleyards pathways - both of which typically take longer from farmgate to plant - which could provide further opportunities and deliver greater value for the beef production sector.
A 48-hour window from leaving the farm to slaughter is the current MSA requirement for road consignment, though opportunities for rail consignment of cattle through three main train lines in Queensland are being researched.
"We are looking at the effect that rail transport, which often results in longer transport times, has on eating quality. Once we understand this impact, we can hopefully account for this in the MSA model," Dr Packer said.
"This is important work that could really open up opportunities for northern producers to generate value through the MSA program."
From the saleyard
Meanwhile, animals are required to be processed within 36 hours if sold through saleyards, a condition that is difficult for some supply chains to meet.
Studies on 48 and 72-hour windows from farm to slaughter via saleyards, along with re-feeding for seven days and 14 days, are being conducted to determine the eating quality outcomes.
"Understanding and providing further pathways could result in more cattle being MSA eligible and in turn provide greater value for producers and more consistency of product for consumers" Dr Packer said.
Dairy beef pathways
Further work is underway investigating the impacts of breed, nutrition and management on the performance and eating quality of beef from dairy cattle. The project aims to increase the value proposition of dairy beef production and determine the viability of implementing an MSA pathway for veal.
Milk-fed vealers (calves suckling and sent directly to slaughter) are already eligible for MSA grading, however there is currently only minimal supply in some regions.
Led by Charles Sturt University, the project started in 2018 and involves cohorts comparing beef cattle to dairy cattle (Holstein, Jersey, Holstein crosses, European crosses and British breeds) aiming to understand the best value proposition for rearing dairy and dairy cross calves.
The different treatment included a range of feeding regimes, such as combinations of pasture feeding, feed supplements and grain feeding in feedlots, on both low and high energy diets, to reach a target of 300kg carcase weight.
Dr Packer said the results of the work would likely add substantial value to a currently under-valued resource.
Results to date have been promising. While there has been some variation in growth rates on different pathways and different rates of MSA compliance between breeds, some cohorts of dairy animals have MSA outcomes and carcase traits similar to the beef animals.
Wagyu 'effect'
Research has also been underway to determine if there is a Wagyu 'effect' on eating quality over and above what the MSA model predicts.
The MSA model accounts for carcase trait effect such as marbling and ossification and the aim is to see if there is a positive effect once these traits are accounted for.
Dr Packer said this research grew out of the increasing popularity of Wagyu in both domestic and international markets and involved cattle comprising purebred Wagyu, Bos indicus and Bos taurus F1s and Angus animals.
This project has involved consumer sensory testing with more than 2600 consumers across Australia and the Middle East and included the striploin, rump, outside flat, chuck roll and bolar blade, prepared using a variety of cooking methods including grill, roast, yakiniku and shabu shabu.
"The results of this trial have to date shown that there is variation in the eating quality differences between Wagyu animals, F1s and Angus cattle. This variation does not support a consistent Wagyu effect, however, analysis is continuing and the final report and outcomes will be published in the coming months," Dr Packer said.
- This article will feature in ACM's special Carcase Merit print publication in July.