Prediction of beef palatability using the Meat Standard Australia (MSA) system
Prediction of beef palatability using the Meat Standard Australia (MSA) system
Beef consumption within the EU is declining, so it is essential that an enjoyable eating experience meets consumers’ expectations in order to keep beef marketable. Therefore, it is necessary to know how different factors can affect meat palatability to support improvements in consumer experience and thus consumption patterns. The voluntary Meat Standards Australia (MSA) system, recognises this by identifying the cut and not the carcass as the grading unit. As a reult it considers post-chiller events such as ageing time and cooking method as essential to cut grade. Grading is based on a predicting model of consumer liking scores using Critical Control Points (CCPs) in the production, pre-slaughter, processing and value-adding aspects that impact on palatability. These CCPs are used as mandatory criteria determining eligibility for grading, and to predict the palatability of individual cuts and their cooking methods. A global quality score (MQ4) is generated and used to grade beef according to three categories: good every day, better than every day and premium. The value of the carcass is calculated transparently based on the eating quality and the relative weight of each cut, rewarding farmers producing high quality carcasses. The scale of MSA allows producers to realise the financial gain of incremental improvements in quality, as well as the precise economic weights associated with traits such as marbling or ossification score. MSA is widely implemented in Australia, and it was studied with success in other countries: France, Poland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Japan, South Korea, New-Zealand, the USA and South Africa. Based on data gathered from different countries, the Meat3G foundation is working to develop a new MSA-like model to predict eating quality of beef across European countries.
BovINE - Beef Innovation Network Europe
Ongoing | 2020-2022
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Ireland