In Search Of Ideal Carcase

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30710, 27 March 1965, Page 10

In Search Of Ideal Carcase

It has always been recognised that the assessment of a cattle beast or a prime lamb by eye is not a very precise art and it would be desirable to devise some system using measurements to eliminate some of the variability of the human element.

Over the last few years quite a lot of interest has been aroused in beef and lamb competitions in which the animals have been processed into cuts and the cuts allocated points on the basis of their weight and their relative commercial value. This would seem to be an important step in the direction of putting carcase quality in the beef animal or lamb on a more concrete and less variable basis.

But it is not easy to devise a formula that will guarantee that the animal that comes out on top is indeed the ideal carcase for trade requirements, for that is the ultimate goal of any carcase competition, but this does not mean to say the effort put into devising some such system is not worthwhile.

The Methven Agricultural and Pastoral Association, which last year held the first beef cuts competition in the South Island, held another of these competitions this week at the Belfast works of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, and what was described as the first lamb cuts competition in-the province at the Kaiapoi works of the North Canterbury Sheepfarmers’ Freezing Company. Both of these competitions were held on the basis of systems devised by a special committee set up by the Meat Board, but Mr S. H. SmithPilling, a supervising grader of the Meat Board in Palmerston North, who has been closely associated With these competitions, emphasised that both systems were still in the trial stage—particularly in the case of the lamb system —and subject to modification. Both systems embrace a series of carcase points partly arrived at by measurement and partly by eye appraisal, and the points for cuts based on the multiplication of the weights of the cuts by a price factor for the particular cut in relation to its market value.

“The lamb cuts judging system provides the opportunity for producers to see how their entries measure up to present market requirements,” said a statement supplied by Mr Smith-Pilling. “It draws attention to the importance of muscle development and also to the problem of overfatness. The system places much emphasis on the need for breeding animals with the balance of weight in

favour of the high priced parts of the carcase. “The committee makes no claim that the system is perfect but considers it provides a good starting point. It will probably take some time to iron out anomalies. Without doubt modifications will have to be made to standards after the system has been in operation for a season.”

The lamb cuts judging system provides for a maximtim score of 35 points for the size of the ribeye or eye muscle, with the loin being cut between the 12th and 13th rib and a single measurement being taken in millimetres of the greatest depth of the eye muscle and this being related to a scale of points for ribeye size in relation to carcase weight. At the same point a measurement is made of the depth of fat overlying the eye muscle and this is also related to a scale of points, again taking into account carcase weight. A maximum of 55 points can be scored here. Bone Length A measurement is also made of the length of the tibia-tarsus bone of the leg from where the trotter is severed from the hock to a protrusion just above the stifle joint. This is also related to carcase weight in assessing the points scored and there is a maximum of 10 points here. This measurement, it is stated, gives a reasonably reliable indication of the conformation of the leg. For assessment of the cuts, one side of each carcase is cut out in a standard manner into a long-cut leg, loin including the sixth rib, squarecut shoulder and offcuts and trimmings. The weights of these cuts are multiplied by their appropriate unit value and the total of these obtained and calculated on a

501 b carcase weight basis. The leg weight is, for instance, multiplied by 6.5. the loin by five, the shoulder by three, and the offcuts and trimmings by one. Unlimited points may be deducted from each entry for faults like yellow fat, abnormal muscle texture or colour, stagginess, bruises or scars.

j Mr Smith-Pilling told the Methven farmers that he would not like to say whether enough emphasis was put on conformation—possibly there was not enough. It had been said that conformation did not mean a thing, but conformation still had sales value. But just because a lamb had a thick, meaty leg did not mean that it had a thick back muscle.

Mr A. E. White, a supervising grader of the Meat Board who has judged many lamb carcase contests, said that this competition had been an eyeopener to him. He and other judges had always looked for a full leg of meat, certainly with good conformation and no waste. He said that he would still lean to the meaty type of leg. The lamb that won the Methven competition was a Dorset Horn-Romney, and it was followed by a straight Romney. In supplied notes about the beef cuts judging system, Mr Smith-Pilling said that much confusion as well as difference of opinion existed today about the importance of such traits as conformation and meat quality in beef. Too often fat predominated in the minds of enthusiasts to the exclusion of other desirable qualities looked for in top-class beef. Despite opinions expressed to the contrary, New Zealand had to continue to maintain her reputation as a supplier of the very best in beef and not merely of manufacturing beef quality. Because of this confusion and these “opinions” it was of vital importance that a sound system of judging beef be available to those controlling competitions. Uppermost in the minds of the committee in devising the beef cuts system of judging was to provide a method whereby the stud breeder, commercial breeder, farmer and drafter would receive Clear guidance on present market requirements for top quality beef. The committee, he said, made no claim that the system evolved was perfect but considered that it provided a sound basis to start from. The Feilding district beef cuts competition had provided the first official trial run of the new system and it had functioned remarkably well. From experience gained at further competitions it might be found necessary to make some modifications to the standards, but present indications were that these would be only of a minor nature.

The system was designed to incorporate a preliminary judging of entries as carcases. This was necessary as it would be virtually impossible for most killing plants to cut and weigh each fabricated part of a side of beef. It was, however, a recommendataion of the committee that a minimum of six entries be cut.

Those entries that were cut would have additional points added these being based, as in the case of the lamb cuts competiti on, on the weight of the cuts multiplied by their individual current value. The final platings would come from those entries which had been cut using the combined carcase and cuts paints. The system formulated provided for a maximum of 40 points to be allotted for the size of the ribeye muscle, 30 for the depth of fat over the ribeye, 10 for the weight of kidney and pelvic fat, 10 for distribution of fat and 10 for meat and fat quality. There was also special provision for the deduction of an unlimited number of points for such characteristics as conformation faults, stagginess, scars, bruises, dark flesh and yellow fat.

Previously the greatest obstacle to devising a system of

judging beef in which measurements had a dominating influence had been to find a reliable but relatively simple method of assessing ribeye area—a most important character. The method of using a surveyor’s instrument over a tracing made of the muscle while the most accurate was not, in the opinion of the committee, suitable for competition work. However, a new method of assessing muscle area has been developed in the United States in which a clear plastic grid ruled off in tenth of an inch squares was placed directly on the muscle and the area was arrived at by counting the number of squares overlaying the red meat. Tests of the grid system had proved to the satisfaction of the committee that it gave a sufficiently reliable assessment of ribeye area for its use in beef competitions.

Although Mr Smith-Pilling did not give details this year of the percentages of cuts and preferred cuts produced by the Methven cattle, this is incorporated within the judging system, and he noted that the tenderloin was the cut which brought the most money so that the more there was of this to multiply by the appropriate price factor the more points the carcase would score.