The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of total replacement of oat hay by rosemary distillation residues (RR) on growth, carcass characteristics and meat quality of Barbarine lambs. A total of 21 lambs were divided into three groups. The control group (C) was offered 600 g of oat hay; the RR87 and RR60 groups received 600 g of pellets containing 87% and 60% of RR, respectively. The CP content was 9% and 14% for RR87 and RR60, respectively. All animals were supplemented by 600 g of concentrate. After 77 days of fattening, lambs were slaughtered. The DM and CP intakes were significantly increased with RR diets. The average daily gain was higher (P<0.001), while the feed conversion rate was lower for RR60 and RR87 than C group. The dressing percentage was similar for all groups. The tissular (muscle, fat and bone) and the regional (leg, shoulder, etc.) carcass composition did not differ among groups. The bony organs and gut weights were similar among groups, while functional ones (skin, liver, kidney and testicles) were significantly heavier for both RR groups than control. The ultimate pH, water cooking loss and color variables were similar among groups and the chemical composition (protein, fat, myoglobin, collagen and iron) did not differ also among groups. These results revealed the opportunity of RR use in fattening lambs without adverse effects on carcass and meat characteristics. Moreover, 9% CP in RR pellets are enough given the same growth performance recorded as that of RR with 14% CP.

The effect of botanical diversity on supply of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to ruminants in vitro, and the fatty acid (FA) composition of muscle in lambs was investigated. Six plant species, commonly grown as part of UK herbal ley mixtures (Trifolium pratense, Lotus corniculatus, Achillea millefolium, Centaurea nigra, Plantago lanceolata and Prunella vulgaris), were assessed for FA profile, and in vitro biohydrogenation of constituent PUFA, to estimate intestinal supply of PUFA available for absorption by ruminants. Modelling the in vitro data suggested that L. corniculatus and P. vulgaris had the greatest potential to increase 18:3n-3 supply to ruminants, having the highest amounts escaping in vitro biohydrogenation. Biodiverse pastures were established using the six selected species, under-sown in a perennial ryegrass-based sward. Lambs were grazed (~50 days) on biodiverse or control pastures and the effects on the FA composition of musculus longissimus thoracis (lean and subcutaneous fat) and musculus semimembranosus (lean) were determined. Biodiverse pasture increased 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 contents of m. semimembranosus (+14.8 and +7.2 mg/100 g tissue, respectively) and the subcutaneous fat of m. longissimus thoracis (+158 and +166 mg/100 g tissue, respectively) relative to feeding a perennial ryegrass pasture. However, there was no effect on total concentrations of saturated FA in the tissues studied. It was concluded that enhancing biodiversity had a positive impact on muscle FA profile reflected by increased levels of total PUFA.

This paper reviews recent research into predicting the eating qualities of beef. A range of instrumental and grading approaches have been discussed, highlighting implications for the European beef industry. Studies incorporating a number of instrumental and spectroscopic techniques illustrate the potential for online systems to non-destructively measure muscle pH, colour, fat and moisture content of beef with R2 (coefficient of determination) values >0.90. Direct predictions of eating quality (tenderness, flavour, juiciness) and fatty acid content using these methods are also discussed though success is greatly variable. R2 values for instrumental measures of tenderness have been quoted as high as 0.85 though R2 values for sensory tenderness values can be as low as 0.01. Discriminant analysis models can improve prediction of variables such as pH and shear force, correctly classifying beef samples into categorical groups with >90% accuracy. Prediction of beef flavour continues to challenge researchers and the industry alike, with R2 values rarely quoted above 0.50, regardless of instrumental or statistical analysis used. Beef grading systems such as EUROP and United States Department of Agriculture systems provide carcase classification and some indication of yield. Other systems attempt to classify the whole carcase according to expected eating quality. These are being supplemented by schemes such as Meat Standards Australia (MSA), based on consumer satisfaction for individual cuts. In Australia, MSA has grown steadily since its inception generating a 10% premium for the beef industry in 2015-16 of $187 million. There is evidence that European consumers would respond to an eating quality guarantee provided it is simple and independently controlled. A European beef quality assurance system might encompass environmental and nutritional measures as well as eating quality and would need to be profitable, simple, effective and sufficiently flexible to allow companies to develop their own brands.

The Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading scheme has the ability to predict beef eating quality for each ‘cut×cooking method combination’ from animal and carcass traits such as sex, age, breed, marbling, hot carcass weight and fatness, ageing time, etc. Following MSA testing protocols, a total of 22 different muscles, cooked by four different cooking methods and to three different degrees of doneness, were tasted by over 19 000 consumers from Northern Ireland, Poland, Ireland, France and Australia. Consumers scored the sensory characteristics (tenderness, flavor liking, juiciness and overall liking) and then allocated samples to one of four quality grades: unsatisfactory, good-every-day, better-than-every-day and premium. We observed that 26% of the beef was unsatisfactory. As previously reported, 68% of samples were allocated to the correct quality grades using the MSA grading scheme. Furthermore, only 7% of the beef unsatisfactory to consumers was misclassified as acceptable. Overall, we concluded that an MSA-like grading scheme could be used to predict beef eating quality and hence underpin commercial brands or labels in a number of European countries, and possibly the whole of Europe. In addition, such an eating quality guarantee system may allow the implementation of an MSA genetic index to improve eating quality through genetics as well as through management. Finally, such an eating quality guarantee system is likely to generate economic benefits to be shared along the beef supply chain from farmers to retailors, as consumers are willing to pay more for a better quality product.