Beef with reasonable marbling and juicy taste is preferred among consumers, and industry leaders continue to monitor how to consistently produce a product with these traits, according to AgriLife Today.
A recent research article addresses the biology and biochemistry of beef marbling and its effects on production systems, carcass and fat quality.
“In our research, we examined young cattle just before they marbled, and were primarily looking at genes related to fatty acid composition,” said Dr. Stephen Smith, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist.
The monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, is abundant in olive oil and is a healthful fatty acid. As cattle fatten and put down marbling, the fat becomes healthier because there is a replacement of saturated fats with oleic acid.
“We hope to convince everyone in the beef production chain, all the way from producers to retailers, that healthy fat in beef not only improves flavor, but you can modify the animal naturally so that the beef contains more oleic acid,” Smith said.