Ever wonder what makes a steak taste so good? The next time you look at a piece of beef, notice the small dots of white fat (the correct term is intra-muscle fat) scattered throughout the meat. This occurrence is called marbling and is measured using a formula— the higher the “marbling score,” the more producers receive for their product.
It naturally follows that producers hope to develop animals with as high a marbling score as possible. There are also other characteristics that are becoming valued – in an increasing health conscious world, there is also a premium paid for beef with a lower fat content.
Another major characteristic in beef is the “rib-eye,” which refers to the amount of muscle in the carcass. The larger the rib-eye, the greater percentage of boneless, closely trimmed cuts that will come off the animal.
It goes without saying that being able to forecast these traits in advance would have tremendous potential to increase the bottom line of producers. With funding help from the Prince Edward Island ADAPT Council (which administers the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Fund in the province), the Prince Edward Island Bull Performance Centre in Tryon is attempting to do just that.
For the past few years, the centre has been taking ultrasounds of animals for producers to enable them to determine the marbling score and the rib-eye area. Centre spokesman Tim Dixon said in general exotic breeds such Charolais tend to have larger rib-eye, while the British breed like Angus tend to have more marbling.
A second project has taken the craft of genetic marking to another level. A test has been developed in western Canada that will show the genetic predisposition of an animal in terms of particular traits such as marbling or rib eye area.
“The ultrasound just shows the state of the animal at a particular point in time,” Dixon said. “This new test shows the animal’s genetic make-up.”
He said the ultrasound test has proven popular, but the new genetic testing may take a while to catch on. One reason, he said is cost. The ultrasound test costs approximately $16 per animal, while the genetic test runs in the range of $60.
The uncertain economic climate caused by the prolonged closure of the U.S. border has made some producers wary of any added costs, Dixon said.
He said if feedlots start to pay more for animals who score well in the genetic test, Dixon said that may justify the extra expense for some producers.
The genetic testing performed at the Island centre is part of a region-wide experiment and Dixon said it will be interesting over the long term to compare the results in the three Maritime provinces.