Describe the steps involved when determining the Quality Grade and Yield Grade of a beef carcass.

Meat Science Activity

Step 1:

Nathan Parker will give a tour of the OSU Clark Meat Science Center. Please watch the video and answer the following questions:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5zvNxNt-ztPaW5QMkh4c0xKN0E/view?usp=sharing

Questions:

1.) General
a) What government organization inspects this facility?
b) What is the purpose of the OSU Clark Meat Science Center?

2.) Processing Floor
a) How are carcasses transported around the facility?
b) Name two primal cuts of beef.
c) Name three different types of equipment or pieces of machinery that are used on the processing floor.

3.) Smoke Room
a) What are three meat products that are cooked in the smoke house?
b) The Food Safety and Inspection Service branch of the USDA have established guidelines for lethality (internal temperature). What is the appropriate lethality temperature that must be reached for cooked beef, pork, and lamb products? What about poultry?
c) Where must the cooked products be stored? Why is this?

4.) Holding Cooler
a) How long are beef carcasses ‘aged’? Why?
b) What else occurs in this cooler?
c) Where are beef carcasses ‘ribbed’?

5.) Slaughter Floor (*No slaughtering occurs in this video*)
a) When an animal arrives at the facility, an ante mortem inspection must occur before the animal is unloaded off the trailer.
i. What is the inspector assessing during this examination?
b) How does the process of stunning differ between beef and hogs?
c) The inspector will evaluate several parts of a beef animal during the post mortem (after death) inspection. Name three specific parts that are inspected.
d) After exsanguination, different processes are performed on hogs and beef. Discuss the main differences.
e) Why is the spinal column removed in beef animals that are over 30 months of age?
f) What is the average dressing percentage for the following species:
i. Beef –
ii. Lamb –
iii. Pork –

6.) Name two aspects of the tour you learned or found interesting.
Step 2:

Follow the links below to view two videos that describe the steps involved when determining the Quality Grade and Yield Grade of a beef carcass.
• Quality Grading – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhNGaR3_-5M
• Yield Grading – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn4upP79j2c
o Skip to 4:22

Questions:

1.) Quality Grading
a) What do Quality Grades estimate?
b) What is marbling?
c) What two specific factors are assessed to determine the maturity of a beef carcass?
d) What are the four ‘young’ grades?

2.) Yield Grading
a) What do Yield Grades measure or predict?
b) Name the four factors used to calculate the final Yield Grade of a beef carcass.
c) What is the range for Yield Grades? Which Yield Grade is considered the most desirable and which is the least desirable?

Step 3:

Please view the following video to learn about sanitation in the meat industry:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUJ4vI-JA88

Follow the link below to view various contemporary issues that are associated with animal science and animal production. From the nine topics provided, select one that interests you the most and provide a brief summary of what you learned. You may also share your personal opinions about the “hot topic” you chose. The summary must be a minimum of 150 words.
• Website: http://www.animalsmart.org/animal-science/hot-topics (Links to an external site.)

Lastly, as our discussions about animal science and animal agriculture draw to a close I am interested to know how you now portray these industries. Have your views of livestock production changed or remained the same? Why/how or why not?