Brahman societies' journey to improve meat quality

The Brahman Cattle Breeders' Society of South Africa elaborates on its efforts to improve all-important meat quality.

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Between the selection of suitable breeding animals and the beef that ends up on the consumer's plate, there is a chain of actions taking place, all of which can have an impact on the quality of the product that the consumer eventually pays for.

Factors that can influence the quality of the beef at the end of the chain are, among others, breed, feed, age of the animal, pre-slaughter handling of the animal, processing, packaging and, of course, the expertise of the chef.

However, genetics provide the starting point for beef quality. Following that, the environment has a huge impact on how these genetic traits ultimately manifest in the final product. It is therefore of critical importance to understand both components and their interactions.

For Southern African Brahman, the study of Brahman meat quality is becoming more important as the market shifts to favour beef that is not only tasty, tender and flavourful, but also healthy.

Southern African Brahman Societies are slowly but surely gaining insights into the very important matter of meat quality.

SELECTING FOR MEAT QUALITY

The facts, as they currently stand, is that a sufficient variety exists in Brahman genetics to enable breeders to select for favourable meat quality, according to Prof Arno Hugo of the University of the Free State's Department of Food Science.

"In our small studies, no trace of a correlation between meat tenderness and hump height could be found," says Hugo.

The heritability of meat tenderness is said to be medium to high, so genetic progress can be made relatively fast, depending on factors such as slaughter procedure, the addition of growth stimulants, and ageing, amongst other factors.

As a breed, the Brahman often deals with prejudice towards meat quality. However, given the above, it is now possible to improve the general negative perception regarding Brahman beef, based on the breed's own research.