National Beef Quality Audit - 2022: Instrument grading assessments of carcass characteristics of fed steers and heifers.

The instrument grading assessment portion of the National Beef Quality Audit -2022 allowed for the evaluation of beef carcass traits over a 12-mo period. One week of instrument grading data was collected each month from 6 major beef processing companies from July 2021 to June 2022 ( = 4,418,768 carcasses). The sample pool was composed of 58.

National Beef Quality Audit-2022: Harvest-floor assessments of hide defects, carcass defects, and offal condemnations that affect value of carcasses and by-products from market cows and bulls.

The National Beef Quality Audit ()-2022 serves as a benchmark of the current market cow and bull sectors of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress.

National Beef Quality Audit-2022: in-plant assessments of quality and yield determining carcass characteristics of fed steers and heifers.

The National Beef Quality Audit - 2022 serves as a benchmark of the current fed steer and heifer population of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress.

National Beef Quality Audit-2022: Transportation, mobility, live cattle, and hide assessments to determine producer-related defects that affect animal welfare and the value of market cows and bulls at processing facilities.

The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA)-2022 serves as a benchmark of the current market cow and bull sectors of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress.

National Beef Quality Audit-2022 Phase 1: face-to-face and digital interviews.

The National Beef Quality Audit () has been conducted regularly since 1991 to assess and benchmark quality in the U.S. beef industry, with the most recent iteration conducted in 2022.

An Experimental Field Trial Investigating the Use of Bacteriophage and Manure Slurry Applications in Beef Cattle Feedlot Pens for Mitigation.

Post-harvest mitigation techniques are insufficient at addressing harbored in cattle lymph nodes, necessitating the exploration of pre-harvest alternatives that reduce prior to dissemination to the lymph nodes. A 2 × 2, unbalanced experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of pre-harvest treatments applied to the pen surface for mitigation in cattle. Treatments included manure slurry intended to mimic pen run-off water (n = 4 pens), a bacteriophage cocktail (n = 4), a combination of both treatments (n = 5), and a control group (n = 5) that received no treatment.

Longitudinal Evaluation of Salmonella in Environmental Components and Peripheral Lymph Nodes of Fed Cattle From Weaning to Finish in Three Distinct Feeding Locations.

Salmonella prevalence in bovine lymph nodes (LNs) varies due to seasonality, geographic location, and feedyard environment. The objectives of this study were to (1) establish prevalence rates of Salmonella in environmental components (trough water, pen soil, individual feed ingredients, prepared rations, and fecal samples) and LNs from weaning to finish in three feeding locations, and (2) characterize recovered salmonellae. Calves (n = 120) were raised at the Texas A&M University McGregor Research Center; in lieu of beginning the backgrounding/stocker phase, thirty weanling calves were harvested.

Palatability assessments of beef strip loin steaks portioned by weight or by thickness sourced from various carcass weight/ribeye area size combinations.

Beef carcasses (n = 90; U.S. Choice) met a 3 ribeye area (REA - Small, Medium, Large) × 3 carcass weight (CW - Light, Intermediate, Heavy) scheme to assess palatability on steaks cut by portion thickness (PT- 3.

Sorting beef subprimals by ribeye area size at the packer level to optimize utility and product uniformity in foodservice and retail.

The objectives of the study were to evaluate if sorting beef carcasses at the packer level by loin muscle (LM) area, using instrument grading technology, would increase the consistency of three boxed beef products for the foodservice and retail sectors of the industry. U.S.

Evaluation of Autogenous Vaccine Use in Mitigating Salmonella in Lymph Nodes from Feedlot Cattle in Texas.

Abstract: Managing the presence of Salmonella in ground beef has been an ongoing challenge for the beef industry. Salmonella prevalence can vary regionally, seasonally, and within the animal, making the development of interventions difficult. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of an autogenous Salmonella vaccine in mitigating Salmonella in lymph nodes (LNs) of feedlot cattle.

Assessment of Salmonella Prevalence in Lymph Nodes of U.S. and Mexican Cattle Presented for Slaughter in Texas.

Foodborne salmonellosis has been traced to undercooked ground beef and other beef products in the past, and peripheral lymph node (LN) presence in the fatty tissues of beef carcasses is one possible source of Salmonella contamination. Researchers have previously reported higher rates of Salmonella prevalence in LNs from cattle raised and harvested in Mexico compared with rates typically observed from cattle harvested in the United States. With cattle of Mexican origin comprising the majority of U.

Impact of elevated aging temperatures on retail display, tenderness, and consumer acceptability of beef.

Palatability, color, and aroma of steaks derived from subprimals aged for 14 d at conventional temperatures (0.0 to 1.1 °C) versus those aged for 7 d at conventional temperatures followed by 7 d at elevated temperatures (3.

National survey of prevalence in lymph nodes of sows and market hogs.

Livestock are known to harbor in their gastrointestinal () tract and lymphatic tissues. Pathogens may be transferred from the GI tract to external carcass surfaces during normal harvest procedures but can be mitigated by antimicrobial carcass interventions. Lymph nodes () are typically encased in fat and are protected from antimicrobial carcass surface treatments, thus serving as a possible root cause of foodborne illnesses attributed to in meat products.

National Beef Quality Audit-2016: assessment of cattle hide characteristics, offal condemnations, and carcass traits to determine the quality status of the market cow and bull beef industry.

To continue the series that began in 1994, the National Beef Quality Audit () - 2016 was conducted to quantify the quality status of the market cow and bull beef sector, as well as determine improvements made in the beef and dairy industry since 2007. The NBQA-2016 was conducted from March through December of 2016, and assessed hide-on carcasses ( = 5,278), chilled carcasses ( = 4,285), heads ( = 5,720), and offal items ( = 4,800) in 18 commercial processing facilities throughout the United States. Beef cattle were predominantly black-hided; 68.

A Research Communication Brief: Gluten Analysis in Beef Samples Collected Using a Rigorous, Nationally Representative Sampling Protocol Confirms That Grain-Finished Beef Is Naturally Gluten-Free.

Knowing whether or not a food contains gluten is vital for the growing number of individuals with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Questions have recently been raised about whether beef from conventionally-raised, grain-finished cattle may contain gluten. To date, basic principles of ruminant digestion have been cited in support of the prevailing expert opinion that beef is inherently gluten-free.

Tracing Surrogates for Enteric Pathogens Inoculated on Hide through the Beef Harvesting Process.

Multiple antimicrobial interventions have been validated for use during the beef postharvesting process. However, little has been done to determine the impact of the postharvest environment on pathogen contamination. In this study, surrogate microorganisms were used to simulate pathogen cross-contamination through the postharvest environment at three different abattoirs.

Prevalence and Characterization of Salmonella enterica and Salmonella Bacteriophages Recovered from Beef Cattle Feedlots in South Texas.

Asymptomatic Salmonella carriage in beef cattle is a food safety concern, and the beef feedlot environment may function as a reservoir of this pathogen. The goal of this study was to identify and isolate Salmonella and Salmonella bacteriophages from beef cattle feedlot environments in order to better understand the microbial ecology of Salmonella and identify phages that might be useful as anti-Salmonella beef safety interventions. Three feedlots in south Texas were visited, and 27 distinct samples from each source were collected from dropped feces, feed from feed bunks, drinking water from troughs, and soil in cattle pens (n = 108 samples).

Novel approach to aging beef: Vacuum-packaged foodservice steaks versus vacuum-packaged subprimals.

This study evaluated quality attributes of beef aged as subprimals versus as steaks. Paired subprimals (n=5 pairs of five subprimal types) were selected and assigned to a treatment: (1) aging as vacuum-packaged steaks (portioned 7 d postmortem), or (2) aging as vacuum-packaged subprimals (portioned into steaks after each aging period: ribeye, 28 d; strip loin, 28 d; top sirloin butt, 35 d; tenderloin, 21 d; and short loin, 28 d). To simulate typical U.

Mitochondrial abundance and efficiency contribute to lean color of dark cutting beef.

Beef carcasses exhibiting four levels of dark cutting severity (DCS): Severe, Moderate, Mild, and Shady were compared to Control carcasses to investigate biochemical traits contributing to the dark cutting condition. Color attributes of Longissimus lumborum (LL) were measured after grading and during simulated retail display. Mitochondrial abundance and efficiency, bloomed oxymyoglobin, reducing ability, glycolytic potential, myoglobin concentration, and protein solubility and oxidation were determined.

Reduction of Surrogates for Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella during the Production of Nonintact Beef Products by Chemical Antimicrobial Interventions.

The efficacy of chemical antimicrobials for controlling Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella during production of marinated nonintact beef products was evaluated using nonpathogenic surrogates. Boneless beef strip loins were inoculated with either approximately 5.8 or 1.