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U.S. Quality Grades

U.S. Quality Grades. Sex Class Maturity Marbling Firmness. Purpose of Grading. Facilitate the marketing of meat To sort carcasses from a heterogeneous population into homogeneous groups. Sex Class Determination Steer vs Heifer. USDA Beef Quality Grades.

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U.S. Quality Grades

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  1. U.S. Quality Grades • Sex Class • Maturity • Marbling • Firmness

  2. Purpose of Grading • Facilitate the marketing of meat • To sort carcasses from a heterogeneous population into homogeneous groups

  3. Sex Class DeterminationSteer vs Heifer

  4. USDA Beef Quality Grades • Quality grades are an estimate of beef palatability

  5. Beef Palatability • Tenderness • Juiciness • Flavor

  6. USDA Quality Grades • Grades of Youthful Carcasses (< 42 mos.) Prime Choice Select Standard • Grades of Mature Carcasses (> 42 mos.) Commercial Utility Cutter Canner

  7. USDA Quality Grades Based on consideration of two general factors: • Physiological Maturity • Skeletal Maturity • Lean Maturity • Marbling (Intramuscular Fat) • Amount • Distribution

  8. USDA Beef Grades USDA maturity and marbling scores Marbling scores: (Highest to lowest) -Abundant -Moderately Abundant -Slightly Abundant -Moderate -Modest -Small -Slight -Practically Devoid -Devoid • Maturity Scores: • A Youngest • B • C • D • E Oldest

  9. Relationship between tenderness and USDA maturity scores

  10. Physiological Maturity vs Chronological Maturity • The physiological maturity of the carcass is an estimate of the actual chronological age of the animal USDA Maturity Score Estimated chronological age A 9 to 30 months B 30 to 42 months C 42 to 72 months D 72 to 96 months E 96 or more months

  11. Physiological Maturity • Skeletal Maturity is determined by evaluating the condition of the cartilage in the vertebral column, with heavy emphasis placed on the cartilaginous buttons at the end of the thoracic vertebra • Lean maturity is determined by the color and firmness of the ribeye at the 12th 13th rib interface

  12. % Thoracic Ossification Approximate Age (Months) Maturity A00 B00 C00 D00 E00 A00 0% 9 – 30 B00 10% 30 – 42 C00 35% 42 – 72 D00 70% 72 – 96 E00 90% E100 100% Skeletal Maturity: Beef Skeletal Maturity > 96

  13. Beef Skeletal Maturity • Physiological Skeletal Ossification is only marginally related to chronological age of the live animal.

  14. “A” and “B” Maturity Carcass Thoracic Chine Buttons “A” Maturity “B” Maturity

  15. Physiological Maturity of Lumbar Vertebrae of from carcasses with A40 and A50 Overall Maturity Scores A40 A50

  16. Skeletal Maturity *Average ossification of first three thoracic vertebra

  17. Spinous process of the Thoracic vertebra “Buttons” Thoracic vertebra

  18. A00 B00 C00 D00 E00 Beef Quality Grades- Lean Maturity Young Intermediate Mature

  19. Various Maturity of Beef Cattle C-Maturity A-Maturity D-Maturity

  20. A-Maturity Overall USDA Maturity

  21. Overall USDA Maturity • Combine Skeletal & Lean • Average • If within 40 degrees- simple average • > 40 degrees- average the degrees then adjust 10 degrees toward bone • If average of Skeletal & Lean crosses C/B line, & skeletal is C- it stays with the skeletal side • Overall maturity cannot differ more than 1 full maturity from skeletal

  22. USDA Quality-Marbling • Marbling, or intramuscular fat flecks within the exposed ribeye area • Usually the major factor determining quality grade Flecks of fat within the encircled area

  23. Marbling Slight00 Small00 Modest00 SlightlyAbundant00 ModeratelyAbundant00 Moderate00

  24. USDA Quality Grades

  25. Quality Grade

  26. Overall USDA Maturity • Determining Final Quality Grade • A maturity overall- Marbling determines Quality grade • It takes a greater amount of marbling to compensate for added maturity to receive same Quality grade • Overall maturity should be adjusted back to respective Maturity 00 also creating an adjusted marbling score

  27. Overall USDA Maturity • Determining Final Quality Grade • Special rule- 1997- B maturity overall with SM or SL marbling = High Std • Everything else adjusted back to respective Maturity 00

  28. USDA Yield Grades

  29. Beef Yield Grades • USDA Yield Grades predict the percentage of carcass weight in boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts from the round, loin, rib and chuck • Lean : Fat + Bone

  30. USDA Yield Grades Yield/Cutability estimates are determined using four criteria • Hot Carcass Weight, lbs • Adjusted Fat Thickness, in. • Ribeye Area, in2 • % KPH

  31. History • USDA developed the cutability equation but it was not used because it was hard to sort carcasses based on percentage cutability. • So, they developed the equation to estimate yield grade and used those grades (1,2,3,4,5) to sort carcasses

  32. USDA YG %BCTRC 1 2 3 4 5 52.3 % or More 52.3 - 50.0% 50.0 - 47.7% 47.7 - 45.4% 45.4% or Less USDA Yield Grade %BCTRC = 51.34 – 5.784(Adj.Fat) – 0.462(KPH) + 0.740(REA) – 0.0093(HCW) USDA YG = 2.5 + 2.5(Adj.Fat) + 0.2(KPH) - 0.32(REA) + 0.0038(HCW)

  33. USDA Yield Grade • First- We Will Use the 3-Step Short-Cut Method to determine USDA Yield Grade • 4 parameters utilized in beef yield grades • HCW • REA • Adj. Fat Thickness • % KPH

  34. USDA Yield Grade Step 1- Determine Preliminary YG (PYG) PYG= 2.0 + 0.25 YG for every 0.1” of fat NOTE: Report all PYG to the nearest tenth of a PYG- round up Example- 0.3”= PYG- 2.75 2.75= 2.8

  35. USDA Yield Grade Step 2- Determine Ribeye (REA) adjustment/ Hot Carcass Wt (HCW) IF INBETWEEN WTS- USE 9-8-8 Rule EXAMPLE- 608 lbs needs 11.0; 609 lbs needs 11.1 616 lbs needs 11.1; 617 lbs needs 11.2

  36. USDA Yield Grade Step 2- Continued- Determine Ribeye (REA) adjustment/ Hot Carcass Wt (HCW) Req. REA- Actual REA =Adj. Factor 3 ONLY Tenths of a YG Adjustment Actual > Req. = Subtract Adj Factor Req. > Actual= Add Adj Factor

  37. USDA Yield Grade Step 2- Example 717 lb carcass needs 12.4 in REA Actual REA- 15.3 12.4 – 15.3 = .966 3 Adj Factor= -1.0

  38. USDA Yield Grade Step 3- % Kidney, Pelvic and Heart Fat Base = 3.5% +/- .5%= +/- 0.1 YG

  39. USDA Yield Grade Calculation • Fat thickness = 0.5 in PYG=3.25 ≈ 3.3 • HCW = 750 lb- Req. REA- 12.8 • Actual REA- 14.1 • 12.8 – 14.1 = -.433 = Adj Factor= -.4 3 • 2.5% KPH= -.2 • Final YG= 2.7 • For this class, all yield grades are calculated to the nearest 0.1 yield grade (range: 1.0-5.9) with no rounding

  40. USDA Yield Grade • Next- We Will Use the 4-Step Method to determine USDA Yield Grade • Again, 4 parameters utilized in beef yield grades • HCW • REA • Adj. Fat Thickness • % KPH -Main difference between 3 and 4-step method is in the 4-step method HCW and REA are not combined, accounting for the extra step.

  41. USDA Yield Grade Step 1- Determine Preliminary YG (PYG) PYG= 2.0 + 0.25 YG for every 0.1” of fat NOTE: Report all PYG to the nearest tenth of a PYG- round up Example- 0.3”= PYG- 2.75 2.75= 2.8

  42. USDA Yield Grade Step 2- Determine weight adjustment adjustment -Starts with a base of 600lbs and every increase in 25lbs is an increase in adjustment of 0.1 -Round on the 13 -Ex- a carcass that weighs 762lbs needs to be adjusted +0.6, but a carcass that weighs 763lbs needs to be adjusted +0.7

  43. USDA Yield Grade Step 3- Determine ribeye (REA) adjustment adjustment -Starts with a base of 11 square inches, and every increase in 1inch is an increase in adjustment of 0.3 -Easiest to call ribeyes on a “3-7-0” system. (all ribeyes end in .3, .7 or .0 as seen in the chart ---------------------------_

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