Measurement and Evaluation of the Carcass

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Measurement andEvaluation of the Carcass
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What is Value-Based Marketing?

• Method of establishing carcass value based upon
  demand for product leaving the slaughter plant

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Information Needed for Efficient Implementation

• Methods of evaluating live animals
• Methods of evaluating carcasses for composition
  and meat quality
• Consumer research on what is desired

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What methods are currently available for
evaluation of live animal composition?
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Evaluation of Live Animal Composition

• Eyeball method
• Backfat probe
• Weight, age, other linear measurements

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Evaluation of Live Animal Composition

• Ultrasound / real time imaging
• Can estimate fat depth and muscling without
  slaughtering the animal

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What methods are currently available for carcass
composition?
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Dressing Percent

• DP Chilled Carcass Weight
• Live weight X 100

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Average Dressing Percent by Species

• Lamb 50
• Beef 60
• Pork 70
• Poultry 60-70

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Cutting Test

• Determine the percentages of muscle, fat and bone
• Can do "Proximate Composition" or protein,
  fat, water, and ash on each

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Other Methods

• Back penetration probes
• Optical lean-fat probes
• predict lean meat
• increase number of probes increases accuracy

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Other Methods

• Ultrasound
• Real Time - picture that calculations come from
• Velocity of Sound - velocity with which sound
  passes from a transmitter to a receiver

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Carcass Grading

• Determination of yield grade is typically done
  for Beef, Lamb and Pork

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What methods would be used to evaluate the
quality of the carcass?
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Evaluation of Carcass Quality

• Meat and fat color standards
• Halothane
• Test for stress susceptible (PSS) live hogs

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Evaluation of Carcass Quality

• pH - 45 minutes post mortem
• Looking for PSE or DFD carcasses
• Fiber optic probes
• Optical lean-fat probes

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Evaluation of Carcass Quality

• Carcass Grading
• Determination of quality grades is typically done
  for Beef, Lamb, Pork and Poultry

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Quality and Yield Grading
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Purpose of Assigning "Grades

• Separation of carcasses into like groups for
  purchase or marketing purposes

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Who Administers the "Grading" Program?
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Grading Program

• USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service or comparable
  state service
• North Carolina Department of Agriculture NCDA

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Grading Inspection are different how?
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Quality Grades

• Estimate of palatability
• How tender and flavorful the meat will be

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Yield Grades

• Estimate of the yield (in percent) of boneless,
  closely trimmed retail cuts

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USDA Beef Grades

• Determine a Quality and Yield Grade
• Only used for finished cattle

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USDA Quality Symbols for Beef
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Beef Quality Grade Factors

• Class
• Degree of marbling
• Estimate of physiological maturity
• Adjustments related to color and/or texture
  defects

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Maturity

• Determine physiological maturity by looking at
  bone structure
• Cartilage tips on vertebrae
• Color of lean
• Dark in mature

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Thoracic Vertebrae Ossification
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USDA Marbling Illustration
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Beef Quality Grade Chart
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USDA Yield Grades for Beef
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Factors Evaluated forBeef Yield Grades

• Fat thickness
• Ribeye area
• Percent kidney, pelvic heart fat
• Hot carcass weight

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Measurement of Fat Thickness
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Measurement of Ribeye Area
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Kidney, Pelvic Heart Fat
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Yield Grade

• YG 2.5 (2.5 x 12th rib fat thickness)
  (.0038 x hot carcass weight) (.2 x KPH) - (.32
  x ribeye area)

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USDA Yield Grades
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Pork

• Determination of Yield and Evaluation of Quality
  in One Grade

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Barrows and Gilts

• US 1 Lean
• US 2
• US 3
• US 4 Fat
• US Utility Unacceptable quality of lean

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Factors Evaluated forPork Carcass Grades

• Backfat thickness
• last rib
• Muscling score
• 1thin 3thick

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Measurement of Carcass Length Backfat Thickness
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Electronic Measurement of Fat Muscle Depth
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Pork Carcass Muscling Scores
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Color Scores for Pork
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Firmness/Wetness Scores for Pork
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Marbling Scores for Pork
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Poultry

• Used for retail trade
• If not Grade A it does not end up as a whole
  bird in the package
• One grade for both quality and yield

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Poultry

• Poultry grades are the only ones which also
  account for quality of workmanship in the
  slaughter process

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Grades for Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, etc.

• A Highest
• B
• C Lowest

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Factors Used for Grade Determination

• Condition
• amount of fat or finish
• Confirmation
• amount of muscling
• Processing Defects

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Defects

• Pinfeathers
• Exposed flesh
• Discoloration
• Bruises and broken bones

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Broiler A vs B
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Turkey A vs B Quality