Quality Notes

Many studies have shown that Bos Indicus cattle produce naturally tougher meat than Bos Taurus. This is a problem because consumers rate tenderness above all else when it comes to beef. The difference in shear force, an objective measure of toughness, is typically 40% between Bos Indicus and Bos Taurus, whereas breed differences within the Bos Taurus group seldom reach 15%.

Research has shown that the higher toughness in Bos Indicus is due to an inability of the muscle to tenderise in the post-mortem period. The activity of the tenderising calpain enzymes is low and the activity of calpastatin, a natural inhibitor of the tenderisation process, is high. Both these enzymes are under genetic control and genetic markers for calpains (CAPN) and calpastatin (CAST) have been identified. These are regions on the cattle chromosome, which can be shown to be correlated with toughness. There are many variants of these markers and their frequency is different between cattle types.

Researchers have been searching for DNA tests based on the markers, which will identify breeding animals with more tender meat than the rest. These tests could also be applied on the slaughter line. There have been promising results but, so far, reliable reductions in toughness have not been achieved. So, although Bos Indicus breeds thrive in tropical climates, there remains the problem of poor eating quality an issue that does not apply to the British cattle breeds.

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