USDA QUALITY GRADES AND PALATABILITY OF LOIN STEAKS FROM CALF AND YOUNG BEEF CARCASSES 1

ABSTRACT The net effect of increases in one palatability attribute (flavor) and decreases in other palatability attributes (amount of connective tissue; tenderness) as carcass maturity increased from “Calf” to “Beef” was that the composite measures of eating satisfaction (overall palatability ratings) were identical (4.8 and 4.8) for loin steaks from carcasses of the two age classes. Increases in maturity across the range from Ca00 to A33 had no effect (P > 0.05) on palatability of loin steaks; attempts to classify “Calf” vs. “Beef” or to assign relative maturity scores within the Calf class were not successful in identifying differences in palatability of loin steaks. Relative fatness (feathering; flank streaking; marbling; estimated or actual intramuscular fat content; subcutaneous fat thickness) was useful in accounting for the observed variability in palatability of meat from Calf and/or Beef carcasses and should be the basis for quality grade assessments. In no case did consideration of conformation or any relative maturity indicator improve significantly upon ability of relative fatness to explain variation in ratings for flavor, tenderness or overall palatability for loin steaks from either Calf or Beef carcasses. These data suggest that classification of certain bovine carcasses as “Calf” rather than “Beef” could be done more objectively than at present (perhaps for example, by using carcass weight) and that consideration of relative maturity should be eliminated in determining the USDA quality grades of Calf carcasses.