W5177: Enhancing the Competitiveness and Value of U.S. Beef

(Multistate Research Project)

Status: Active

Project Menu

SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[10/30/2023] [08/21/2024]

Date of Annual Report: 10/30/2023

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 09/11/2023 - 09/11/2023
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2022 - 09/30/2023

Participants

See Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes Attachment:

2023 W5177 Annual Minutes 10-30-23.docx

Accomplishments

<ol> <li>Collaborations</li> </ol> Idaho/Nevada/Mississippi Dahlgren, C., S. Wang, A. de Mello, M.J. Colle, D. Burnett, C. O. Lemley, W. Shilling and T. Dinh. 2023. Effects of electrical stimulation on total peptides and free amino acids in beef semimembranosus muscle. Proc. 2023 Reciprocal Meat Conf. 44. Texas/Colorado/Idaho Miller, Rhonda K., Chris Kerth, and Mahesh Nair.  Work on factors that influence beef flavor has continued with the support of the National Cattlemens’ Beef Association Beef Flavor subcommittee.  Work this year has concentrated on the writing of two major beef flavor review articles to provide information and a roadmap for the research that has been done.  These reviews were critical in defining where additional research was needed.  A collaborative project was defined and will be implemented in 2023 through 2025.   Objectives   <ul> <li>To examine live animal management practices that impact beef flavor and define if these practices impact consumer liking.</li> <li>To evaluate beef post-slaughter management practices that affect beef flavor.</li> <li>To understand how changes in beef flavor as measured using trained descriptive attribute panels relate to consumer liking.</li> </ul>     Information from the proposed National Beef Quality Audit – 2021 is being collected in a comparable manner to previous audits, which allows identification of past and present trends.   Texas/Colorado/Idaho/Oklahoma   Objectives   <ul> <li>To assess the current transportation modes and distances, mobility status, and quality characteristics of U.S. fed steers and heifers and market cows and bulls.</li> <li>To obtain USDA beef grading information and other carcass characteristics from U.S. fed steers and heifers, and selected carcass assessments from market cows and bulls</li> <li>To analyze instrument grading information from a number of beef processing establishments to determine monthly, seasonal, and audit-to-audit comparisons in various carcass value-determining traits.</li> </ul>   Smith, C.L., Thompson, T.W., Harr, K., Goretska, M., Mayer, T., Schwartz, T., Borders, S.E., Gehring, K., Bass, P., Pfeiffer, M., Mafi, G., Pendell, D., Morgan, J.B., Griffin, D., Savell, J.W., Scanga, J., Nair, M.N., Belk, K. 2022 National beef quality audit: Phase 1 - interviews. American Meat Science Association Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Jun 25 – 28, 2023, St. Paul, MN, Abstract # 45. Indiana/Oklahoma/Kansas/Kentucky Ramanathan, R., Denzer, M., Kiyimba, F., Harr, K., Suman, S., Hunt, M.C., Pfeiffer, M., Mafi, G.G., Kim, Y.H.B.,. 2023. Role of postmortem bioenergetics in beef colour chemistry. Italian Journal of Animal Science. 22:711-727. Kentucky/Oklahoma Suman, S.P.; Wang, Y.; Gagaoua, M.; Kiyimba, F.; Ramanathan, R. 2023. Proteomic approaches to characterize biochemistry of fresh beef color. Journal of Proteomics, 281, 104893. Faustman, C.; Suman, S.P.; Ramanathan, R. 2023. The eating quality of meat: I Color. In Lawrie's Meat Science (Ninth Edition). ISBN: 978-0-323-85408-5. Edited by F. Toldra. Elsevier, Oxford, United Kingdom. Chapter 11, pp 363-392. <ol start="2"> <li>Accomplishments</li> </ol>   Arkansas – Derico Setyabrata Research on beef tenderness and color quality was conducted in the past year. Specifically, the study focuses on identifying the impact of different consumer freezing methods and product size (steaks vs roast) on beef quality from different muscles. California – Timothy J. Hackmann and Payam Vahmani Our research has focused on three main areas: 1) identifying rumen bacteria responsible for the presence of specific trans fatty acids in beef fat, 2) investigating the role of different rumen-derived trans fatty acids on marbling fat synthesis using primary intramuscular fat cell culture models, 3) assessing health effects of rumen-derived trans fatty acids in mouse models of obesity and type-2 diabetes. Our research projects directly contributed to project objective 5. The outcomes provide a better understanding of the origin of trans fats in beef, and their effects on beef quality and healthfulness.   California - James W. Oltjen Between the influence of the “food elite” on social media and increasing public concerns over climate change, consumer demand for grass-fed beef has increased considerably. Although many consumers perceive grass-fed beef as more environmentally friendly than grain-fed beef, there is a dearth of research available to address these consumer claims. In order to answer both consumer and producer concerns, we performed an experiment that evaluated the environmental footprint (i.e., water, land, greenhouse gasses, and energy), beef quality, and economic outcome of four beef cattle production systems on the West coast. The four systems included conventional beef finished on grain for 128 d, steers grass-fed for 20 mo, steers grass-fed for 20-mo with a 45-d grain finish, and steers grass-fed for 25 mo.  We evaluated the shelf life and sensory properties of steaks which has implications for marketing this type of beef. California - Xiang Yang and Pedro Carvalho Antimicrobial resistance (AR) is a significant emerging health issue globally and in the U.S. With respect to the U.S., approximately 2.8 million clinical infections and 35,000 human deaths occur annually. In addition to clinical burdens, the estimated annual economic cost of AR is $21,832 per case which results in over $3 trillion in GDP loss due to excess health care and loss of productivity. Due to the wide use of antibiotics in livestock operations, there is substantial concern that antibiotic use in animal agriculture contributes to AR in humans and leads to threats to public health. Antibiotics have been incorporated into cattle diets to prevent the spread of disease and promote animal health and growth for a long time. However, The use of in-feed antibiotics for production purposes in the livestock and poultry industry is completely banned in the U.S. in 2017 to mitigate the risk of AR. It is important for the cattle producers to find antibiotic alternatives to maintain the health of the animals without promoting AR in livestock production and to understand how different production and/or management practices may influence risk of AR. Therefore, we proposed to assess the effect of antibiotic alternatives on animal performance and health, as well as to characterize and compare the fecal resistome of cattle fed with antibiotics and antibiotic alternatives to assess the effect of antibiotic alternative on the degree of AR in beef cattle. Texas - Miller Research to further understand the connections between beef descriptive flavor and texture attributes and consumer preferences has continued.  While positive and negative flavor attributes have been defined in the past, understanding the interrelationships between flavor, juiciness and tenderness have been implemented.  Research examining consumer mouth behaviors and the subsequent effect on consumer preferences was also implemented. Texas - Osburn   Research activities focused on investigating the development of an amino acid based alternative curing system for processed meat products (USDA-AFRI- 2021-09606).  Findings indicate that activation of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) system by addition of the amino acid L-arginine followed by subsequent thermal processing results in the generation of nitric oxide by the enzyme system. For L-arginine treated beef samples, nitrosohemochromogen (cured pigment) and residual nitrite values were lower than conventionally cured (sodium nitrite) beef samples, but still generated observable cured pink color.  Concentrations from 1000-4000 ppm of L-arginine are appropriate to generate the desired cured meat reaction in beef samples. Colorado - Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk Colorado State University (CSU) has been actively engaged in several research projects during the past year focusing on palatability, processing, marketing of beef, prevention of food-borne illness, and consumer preferences for beef. Research was also undertaken to evaluate the effects of lipid peroxidation products such as  malondialdehyde (MDA), hexenal, and 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), on calpain-1 function. Oklahoma - Mafi Oklahoma State University has conducted several projects in the past year evaluating beef shelf-life, palatability, cause and improvement of dark-cutting beef and consumer preferences.  Research evaluated different oxygen scavengers combined with different dark storage temperatures to determine ideal combinations for most extended shelf-life. Also, research was conducted to better understand freezing temperatures in combination with aging times to maximize palatability. Idaho – Phil Bass and Michael Colle Beef meat science faculty efforts at the University of Idaho have been conducting research through the past year with focus on beef carcass quality, tenderness, color, and dry aging.  Focus has been on heavy weight carcasses and the effect of those carcasses on the merchandising of beef round cuts.  Research has been conducted on beef chuck rolls and short ribs with the introduction of rosemary extract and acerola cherry powder in combination with one another as topical antioxidants to improve color stability in a retail setting.  Research into commercial dry aged beef facilities were investigated for palatability differences and metabolomics. Lastly, various beef cuts were evaluated for use in finger steaks in order to add value to undervalued cuts. Indiana - Brad Kim Dr. Brad Kim at Purdue University has been working on determining the impacts of post-harvest processing factors (developing “Smart Aging”, in particular) on meat quality attributes. In this reporting period, Dr.Kim’s group worked on several beef projects – 1) NCBA funded fresh beef tumbling and aged/frozen beef for better quality and 2) continue working on USDA-AFRI grant project - the impacts of extended postmortem aging on color and redox stability of different beef muscles  Kansas - Logan Britton Dr. Logan Britton has investigated the relationship between plant-based meat alternatives and regular livestock meat in a consumer choice experiment setting. Specifically, an online basket-based choice experiment was utilized to better simulate a shopping experience for respondents in which they had a income constraint and the ability to select multiple quantities of the products show. The results indicated plant-based meat alternative product has a negative cross-price elasticity of demand with multiple livestock meat products, indicating a complementary relationship. Kansas – Michael Chao Dr. Michael Chao has been investigating a technique known as accelerated aging (AA) to improve the quality of lower quality beef cuts. This technique has shown to improve beef tenderness through submerging vacuum packaged beef in warm water bath for just a few hours. In addition, he looked at the mechanism behind AA of beef with a specific focus on the enzyme cathepsin. In addition, their team has also evaluated the impact of applying an electrostatic field (EF) on thawing characteristics like thawing speed and purge loss as well as its impact on quality attributes during subsequent aging and retail display of beef. Kansas – Glynn Tonsor, Ted Schroeder, and Brian Coffey Drs. Tonsor, Schroeder, and Coffey have been investigating multiple aspects of fed cattle and beef marketing.  Multiple publications have resulted from this work leading to increased awareness on current marketing issues with implications for U.S. competitiveness. Kentucky – Surendranath Suman Dr. Surendranath Suman’s lab group has been investigating the applied and basic aspects of beef color quality. In this perspective, studies are in progress on the impact of aging on beef color. Additionally, the role of myoglobin posttranslational modifications in beef color stability is being examined. Multiple scientific publications have been published in this area. UConn – Chaoyu Zhai   Meat science faculty at the University of Connecticut have been establishing the research laboratory in the past year. The multistate capacity grant was funded in April 2023 and will start in October 2023. The project will study the interactions between lipid oxidation and muscle proteins, which could elucidate how lipid oxidation affects protein function during muscle-to-meat conversion and improve our understanding of the production of quality beef. <ol start="3"> <li> Short-term Outcomes</li> </ol>   Arkansas – Derico Setyabrata Current results indicated that steak freezing caused excessive discoloration compared to roast freezing. Consumer freezing methods, as expected, generated higher discoloration compared to blast freezer, with refrigerator freezer causing the most discoloration. California – Timothy J. Hackmann and Payam Vahmani Our project identified three new bacterial groups (Tractidigestivibacter, Sporanaerobacter, Parafannyhessea) as capable of producing trans10,cis12-conjugated linoleic acid (t10,c12-CLA) which is known to have potent antilipogenic properties and may reduce marbling fat accumulation in beef. Using bovine marbling fat cell cultures, we found that fat cells cultured with trans10-18:1, the predominant trans fatty acid in feedlot beef, showed reduced fat accumulation compared to those cultured with trans11-18:1, the predominant trans fatty acid in grass-fed beef.  Moreover, t11-18:1, but not t10-18:1 prevented fasting insulinemia in diet-induced obese mice. We have additional mouse model studies planned to better understand the isomer-specific effects of rumen-derived trans fatty acids on glucose homeostasis in diet-induced obese mice models. California - James W. Oltjen The results indicate that steaks in the 20GF group displayed a darker lean and fat color, and a lower oxidation state than those in the 25GF group. However, the feeding system did not have an impact on pH or objective tenderness of beef steaks. In addition, consumers and trained panelist did not detect a difference in taste or flavor between the 20GF or 25GF steaks but expressed a preference for the CON and 45GR steaks, indicating that an increased grazing period may improve the color Texas - Miller Flavor is the main driver of consumer acceptability as long as juiciness and tenderness are acceptable.  Tenderness and juiciness are closely aligned to each other for consumer preferences.  Consumers like beef with higher levels of fat flavor and grilled flavor components and dislike beef with higher levels of cardboardy, metallic, and liver-like flavors.  When segmented into mouth behavior groups, juiciness and tenderness were more important for suckers and smoochers.  Chewers like beef with a little bit more fight in it where as crunchers want beef that has an initial crunch, like beef with a grilled crust, and then that breaks down easily with subsequent chewing.  These results show that consumers across mouth behaviors respond differently to beef that varies in texture. Texas-Osburn   Our research efforts demonstrated the efficacy of activating the endothelial nitric oxide synthase system with the amino L-arginine to generate nitric oxide and residual nitrite, simulating the cured meat reactions found in sodium nitrite cured meat products. Colorado – Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk  Our research demonstrated that lipid oxidation products can influence the functionality of calpain-1 in-vitro by covalent modifications. Tenderness is an important quality attribute that influences consumer eating satisfaction of meat and Calpain-1 significantly contributes to the proteolysis of cytoskeletal and myofibrillar proteins and the postmortem tenderization of meat. Our study is the first to demonstrate that lipid peroxidation products have differential impacts on calpain-1 activity in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro. Incubation with hexenal and 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) decreased the calpain-1 and the autolysis rate, whereas incubation with malondialdehyde (MDA) slightly increased the calpain-1 activity. These results lay the groundwork for future investigations to understand the mechanistic basis of these differences, including their impacts on calpain activity in postmortem muscle and the development of meat tenderness Oklahoma - Mafi Using multiple scavengers in master bags had no impact on retail shelf-life stability regardless of time in dark storage. Oxygen scavenger efficacy can be influenced by number of trays in a master bag or weight of product but with tray number and product weight being held constant adding additional scavengers did not improve beef color or reduce discoloration.  Idaho – Phil Bass and Michael Colle The deep portion of the top round of larger carcasses takes longer to chill and therefore has a more rapid pH decline.  This negatively affects the shelf-life of the top round.  Regardless of carcass size, the deep portion of the top round has poorer color stability and is tougher than the superficial portion of the top round.  Merchandising research utilizing an online survey has demonstrated distinct willingness to purchase differences between the two cuts. Dry aging microbiome work has demonstrated that the microbiome of molds and bacteria of different commercial dry-aging facilities is indeed different.  Differences in environment demonstrate unique dry-aging conditions resulting in distinctly different microbial populations on dry-aged beef.  Flavor boldness has also been shown to be different among commercial dry-aging facilities. Rosemary extract and acerola cherry powder are effective antioxidants for extending the color stability of beef chuck rolls and short ribs and has led to follow-up research opportunities.    Indiana - Brad Kim   The tenderizing action of the tumbler appears to have limited impact on tenderness and other meat quality attributes on loin cuts from high-quality grade beef. However, the impact of steak tumbling on low quality grade beef (USDA Select) was examined for instrumental tenderness determination. WBSF values significantly decreased with increasing tumbling time from 0 min to 20 or 60 min, regardless of aging time. The present study also conducted a development of tumbling prediction models using artificial intelligence (AI) based Machine Learning tools and regression analysis. While more data collection and subsequent data analysis is warranted to improve the accuracy of the AI-based tumbling prediction model, the current study suggested a feasibility of using tumbling models to identify optimal tumbling process regimes for the meat industry application. We also found that increasing postmortem aging has detrimental effects on color stability of muscles such as BF, GM, and IF. In particular, the LL was color stable across all aging durations, while the color stability of the IF was most labile with aging among beef muscles. The results of the current study indicate the need of establishing muscle-specific optimal aging practice considering different color stability of different beef muscles.   Kansas - Michael Chao All AA treatments improved tenderness of the samples compared to the control with most exhibited similar tenderness as the 21 days cooler aged treatment. This investigation also revealed AA can enhance cathepsin activity of lower quality beef cuts leading to collagen solubilization and protein degradation. For the EF project, it was found that all EF treatments increased purge loss in the outside cooler location and did not improve thawing speed, with high EF voltage taking the longest to thaw. However, it was found that high EF voltage showed a reduction in WBSF compared to the control, but there was no impact of EF on sarcomere length and myofibrillar protein degradation. <ol start="4"> <li>Outputs</li> </ol> Arkansas – Derico Setyabrata In the past year 3 abstracts related to beef quality study were published. California – Timothy J. Hackmann and Payam Vahmani Outputs directly related to this project include 2 abstracts and 2 Master’s theses. Colorado – Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk In the past year, Dr. Nair published 4 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 12 abstracts related to beef quality, postmortem biochemistry, shelf-life, and safety. Additionally, several invited talks were given at scientific conferences and industry meetings. Texas - Miller In the past year, Dr. Miller has published 6 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 2 manuscripts are being reviewed for publication.  Dr. Miller has given several invited presentations at industry meetings. Texas - Osburn   In the past year Dr. Osburn has one published peer reviewed manuscript, one research report, three abstracts, two USDA presentations and two podcasts concerning the efficacy of developing and implementing an amino acid based curing system for processed meats.  Oklahoma - Mafi In the past year, Oklahoma has published 6 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 12 abstracts related to beef quality and improvement. Idaho – Phil Bass and Michael Colle Since last year Idaho published 3 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 3 abstracts; all related to beef quality and improvement.  Additionally, Drs. Bass and Colle were frequently invited speakers at state and regional events. Furthermore, 3 M.S. students completed their degrees and 2 undergraduate students from the lab completed their B.S. Degrees.   Indiana - Brad Kim In this reporting period, six peer-reviewed journal articles, 2 book chapters, 1 proceeding article and 4 conference abstracts were published.The PI Kim was invited to give a keynote lecture at the International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, Padova, Italy and at the 56th International Symposium and Annual Meeting of Korean Society for Food Science of Animal Resources meeting, May 2023, Korea. Kansas - Logan Britton Submission of plant-based meat alternatives and regular livestock meat consumer study to a peer-reviewed journal; presentation of the same study at a land-grant university. <ol start="5"> <li>Activities</li> </ol>   Arkansas – Derico Setyabrata Research related to frozen beef palatability and color was conducted in the past year. Currently training is being provided to several undergraduate students and 1 M.S. students. Several workshops were held related to beef harvesting and quality management. California – Timothy J. Hackmann and Payam Vahmani We identified three groups bacteria that produce t10,c12-CLA and t10-18:1 by using genomics and biochemical assays. We first searched genomes of 142,000 strains for a gene for linoleate isomerase, which catalyzes the first step of biohydrogenation of linoleic acid. We then biochemically tested three of these strains (Tractidigestivibacter scatoligenes SK9K4, Sporanaerobacter acetigenes Lup33, Parafannyhessea umbonata A2) to determine if they could carry out biohydrogenation of linoleic acid in growing cultures (i.e. forming conjugated linoleic acids and trans 18:1 isomers). We also investigated adipogenic and lipogenic effects of key rumen-derived trans fatty acids  (t10,c12-CLA, c9, t11-CLA, t10-18:1, and t11-18:1) on stromovascular fraction (SVF) and dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells obtained from beef intramuscular adipose tissue. Confluent SVF and DFAT cells were exposed to media containing adipogenic inducers (dexamethasone, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine) and 0, 5, 10 or 20 µM of trans FA treatments for 6 days followed by Oil Red O staining, fatty acid, qPCR, and GPDH activity assays. Moreover, we determined the effects of beef fat enriched with t11-18:1 and c9,t11-CLA on parameters related to glucose homeostasis and liver health in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. Thirty-six 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were divided into nine cages of similar average body weight (four mice per cage). Each cage was randomly assigned for 18 weeks to either a control low-fat diet, a control high-fat diet containing lard, or an enriched-high fat diet containing beef fat enriched with t11-18:1 and c9,t11-CLA. The enriched beef fat was collected from steers fed a diet containing 75% hay and 25% flaxseed-based concentrate. California - James W. Oltjen We performed an experiment that evaluated the shelf life and sensory properties of four beef cattle production systems on the West coast. The four systems included conventional beef finished on grain for 128 d, steers grass-fed for 20 mo, steers grass-fed for 20-mo with a 45-d grain finish, and steers grass-fed for 25 mo. Colorado – Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk Currently training is being provided to 6 graduate students and several undergraduate students. Also, 2 M.S. and 2 Ph.D. degrees were awarded during this time. Additionally, the following activities were taken up by the PI (Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk) for knowledge dissemination. <ul> <li>Hosted large workshops to discuss industry issues and present research findings.</li> <li>Served as invited speakers at scientific meetings to present research.</li> <li>Served as members of advisory boards for research foundations.</li> <li>Integrated research findings into university courses and curriculum.</li> <li>Published numerous peer-reviewed articles</li> </ul> Texas - Miller Two MS graduate students were awarded their degrees.  For knowledge dissemination, Dr. Miller has: <ul> <li>Served on the National Cattlemens’ Beef Association Beef Flavor Subcommittee.</li> <li>Presented findings to industry groups such as the Texas Southwest Cattle Raisers Association and the Texas AgriLife Beef Cattle Short Course.</li> <li>Integrated research findings into the Department of Animal Science meat science courses and curriculum.</li> <li>Published numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts.</li> </ul> Texas - Osburn   One PhD student was awarded their degree.  One PhD student and 5 MS students are working in Dr. Osburn’s laboratory to investigate the use of the amino acid alternative curing systems on beef and/or beef-blend processed products. Presentations were given at a USDA meeting, a national meats science meeting, state meat association and beef cattle meetings, department sponsored workshops and in plant training. Oklahoma - Mafi Two MS graduate students were awarded degrees, 2 Ph.D. students and 2 additional MS students are working in Dr. Mafi’s lab with 5 undergraduate students. Meat slaughter and fabrication short-courses and producers workshops have been held in the past year. Idaho – Phil Bass and Michael Colle Hands on meat lab and research lab training were provided to 7 graduate and 10 undergraduate students in Meat Science. Numerous producer, processor, and retailer workshops were held this past year focusing on improving meat quality.    Indiana - Brad Kim   Two new phd students, 1 MS student and 1 visiting post-doc were trained and assigned to the projects working on conducting biochemical analyses including meat quality, color and oxidative stability as well as metabolomics analyses. Along with peer-reviewed journal article publications,  Dr. Kim gave multiple presentations at several universities and research institutes in Korea to present some of the key findings of the current research works during his research sabbatical periods in Korea. Kansas - Logan Britton One Ph.D. student is being trained in behavioral economic concepts related to survey methodology. Kansas – Michael Chao Four M.S. students and 3 undergraduate students in Meat Science were trained to conduct these research projects with the focus to improve meat quality.    <ol start="6"> <li>Milestones</li> </ol>   Arkansas – Derico Setyabrata Currently projects are ongoing. Several grant funding were secured during the past year. California – Timothy J. Hackmann and Payam Vahmani Two MS students carrying out research in our projects were awarded their degrees. We achieved an important milestone in the research itself by identifying bacteria that carry out biobiohydrogenation by using genomics and biochemical assays.  This paves the way to identifying more bacteria and through complementary approaches (testing of several hundred bacterial isolates by brute force).  We have research continuing in the area of beef fatty acids with a project initiated to compare bioactivities and health effects of trans10-18:1 (predominant trans fatty acid in grain-fed beef) vs. trans11-18:1 (predominant trans fatty acid in grass-fed beef). Colorado – Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk Several research projects were completed, and multiple grants were secured during the past year. In addition several graduate and undergraduate students were trained during this time period. Texas - Miller Dr. Miller has reanalyzed a number of existing data sets from research conducted since 2014 and published these results.  She has incorporated more multivariate statistical methods into data analyses to increase the meaning of the results.  Texas-Osburn   Dr. Osburn has one USDA grant as PI in progress and additional USDA funded this year as   co-PI and will be collaboratively submitting a USDA grant as a co-PI for this cycle. Grants focus on an amino acid alternative curing system; establishing processing parameters to develop a food safety model for fermented, uncooked, dried beef and pork salami; and investigating innovative packaging methods for ground beef. Oklahoma - Mafi Dr. Mafi has two new grants funded in this year and completed several projects related to beef quality research. Idaho – Phil Bass and Michael Colle Both Dr. Bass and Dr. Colle were promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure in spring of 2023. Combined, Dr. Bass and Dr. Colle have been able to secure external funding for a variety of meat quality related projects this past year. Indiana - Brad Kim Dr. Kim has been serving as Editor in Chief for Meat and Muscle Biology journal (official journal of American Meat Science Association). Also, Dr. Kim was promoted to Full Professor. Dr. Kim has secured multiple grants as a lead-PI and co-PI. We will also work on finalizing our working manuscripts and submit these manuscripts to peer-review journals for publication.   Kansas - Logan Britton Dr. Britton has one USDA NIFA grant funded this year that will run until 2026. Kansas – Michael Chao Dr. Chao was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure in spring of 2023. Dr. Chao was also presented with the Achievement Award from American Meat Science Association this summer. Dr. Chao has secured 2 grants as a lead-PI and co-PI. He has also published 6 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals for publication.

Publications

Arkansas – Derico Setyabrata Shoup, S. L., Neal, E.S., Cheek, R.A., Gadberry, M.S., Powell, J.G., Setyabrata, D., Yancey, J.W.S., Kegley, E.B., Vierck, K.R. “Impact of Extended Feeding Duration on Instrumental Color Analysis of Locally Grown Beef”. 2023. 76th Reciprocal Meat Conference. St. Paul, Minnesota, USA Looper, J.T., Neal, E.S., Bugenhagen, K.A., Setyabrata, D., Yancey, J.W.S., Vierck, K.R. “Determining the Effectiveness of Rosemary Extract on The Instrumental Color of Ground Beef Under Different Lighting Conditions”. 2023. 76th Reciprocal Meat Conference. St. Paul, Minnesota, USA Setyabrata, D., Rodriguez, J., Rivera Pitti, A., Taylor, C., Dobbins, T., Dias Morse, P., Vierck, K.R., Yancey, J.W., Legako, J.F. “Impact of Product Size and Subsequent Consumer Freezing on Color and Water Holding Capacity of Different Beef Muscles”. 2023. 76th Reciprocal Meat Conference. St. Paul, Minnesota, USA California – Timothy J. Hackmann and Payam Vahmani Hackmann T, De Groot H, Vahmani P.  2023. Three new genera of bacteria that carry out biohydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids.  J. Dairy Sci. 106(Suppl. 1): 2302. (Abstr.) Xu Y, Shinichiro K, Fawaz Haj, and Vahmani P. 2023. Effect of beef fat enriched with trans vaccenic acid and conjugated linoleic acid on glucose tolerance and liver fat accumulation in diet induced obese mice. 2023 ICOMST (Abstr.) Park K. 2023. Effects of Biohydrogenation Intermediates on Adipogenesis and Lipogenesis of Primary Bovine Preadipocytes and Dedifferentiated Mature Adipocytes. M.S. Thesis (Kihoon Park). Xu Y, 2023. Effects of beef fat enriched with trans vaccenic acid and conjugated linoleic acid on glucose homeostasis in diet-induced obese mice. M.S. Thesis (Yanqing Xu). California - James W. Oltjen Duarte, T.L.; Bolkenov, B.;Klopatek, S.C.; Oltjen, J.W.; King,D.A.; Shackelford, S.D.; Wheeler, T.L.; Yang, X. Evaluating the Shelf Life and Sensory Properties of Beef Steaks from Cattle Raised on Different Grass Feeding Systems in theWestern United States. Foods 2022, 11, 2141. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11142141 Colorado - Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk Zhai, C., Lonergan, S.M., Huff-Lonergan, E., Johnson, L.G., Brown, K., Prenni, J.E., Nair, M.N.* (2023). Lipid peroxidation products influence calpain-1 functionality in vitro by covalent binding. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 71 (20), 7836-7846. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c01225 Hernandez-Sintharakao, M. J., Sarchet, C. J., Prenni, J. E., Woerner, D. R., Zhai, C., Nair, M. N.* (2023). Prediction of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor profile of 2 beef muscles with different aging times using Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry (REIMS), Meat and Muscle Biology 7(1): 16120, 1-14. <a href="https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.16120">https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.16120</a>. King, D.A., Hunt, M., Barbut, S., Claus, J., Cornforth, D., Joseph, P., Kim, B., Lindahl, L., Mancini, R., Nair, M.N., Merok, K., Milkowski, A., Mohan, A., Pohlman, F., Ramanathan, R., Raines, C., Seyfert, M., Sorheim, S., Suman, S., Weber, M. (2023). American Meat Science Association guidelines for meat color measurement. Meat and Muscle Biology 6(4): 12473, 1-81. doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.12473">https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.12473</a> Gonzalez, S, Nair, M.N., Belk, K.E. Diversity in global production systems allows beef to hit consumer targets in a range of markets. In proceedings of 68th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, August 2022, Kobe, Japan, p36- 42 Smith, C.L., Thompson, T.W., Harr, K., Goretska, M., Mayer, T., Schwartz, T., Borders, S.E., Gehring, K., Bass, P., Pfeiffer, M., Mafi, G., Pendell, D., Morgan, J.B., Griffin, D., Savell, J.W., Scanga, J., Nair, M.N., Belk, K. 2022 National beef quality audit: Phase 1 - interviews. American Meat Science Association Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Jun 25 – 28, 2023, St. Paul, MN, Abstract # 45. Schiefelbein, A., Gonzales, S., Geornaras, I., Delmore, R., Nair, M.N. The effect of incorporating Suspended Fresh® beef trimmings on ground beef retail shelf-life. American Meat Science Association Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Jun 25 – 28, 2023, St. Paul, MN, Abstract # 94. Thompson, T., Thomas, K., Weinroth, M., Doster, E., Pinnell, L., Vikram, A., Terrance, A., Schmidt, J., Metcalf, J., Nair, M.N., Delmore, R., Wheeler, T., Morley, P., Belk, K. The impact of production system the ground beef microbiome and resistome. Jun 25 – 28, 2023, St. Paul, MN, Abstract # 153. Gonzalez, S.V., Hardcastle, J.K., Geornaras, I., Britton, B.C., Delmore, R.J., Nair, M.N., Woerner, D.R., Belk, K.E. Evaluation of the antimicrobial effects of acidified peroxyacetic acid against shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica on beef cheek meat. Jun 25 – 28, 2023, St. Paul, MN, Abstract # 150. Gonzalez, S.V., Hardcastle, J.K., Geornaras, I., Britton, B.C., Delmore, R.J., Nair, M.N., Woerner, D.R., Belk, K.E. Evaluation of an antimicrobial treatment for reduction of pathogen populations on beef tongues stored at 4°C or -20°C. Jun 25 – 28, 2023, St. Paul, MN, Abstract # 151. Davis, M., Sullivan, P., Hess, M., Nair, M.N., Mooney, D., Edwards-Callaway. L. Benchmarking current pre-slaughter practices, welfare indicators, and meat quality outcomes at commercial fed cattle processing facilities in the United States. American Meat Science Association Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Jun 25 – 28, 2023, St. Paul, MN, Abstract # 2. Mairena, C.A., Horton, T.M., Miller, M.F., Johnson, B.J., Legako, J., Nair, M.N., Brooks, C., Woerner, D.R. Evaluating the impact of early postmortem temperature variation on beef muscle tenderness and color development. American Meat Science Association Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Jun 25 – 28, 2023, St. Paul, MN, Abstract # 64. Thompson, T.W., Smith, C.L., Belk, K.E., Savell, J., Mafi, G., Pfeiffer, M., Pendell, D., Morgan, B., Mayer, T., Griffin, D., Gehring, K., Schwartz, T., Bass, P., Harr, K., Goretska, M., Scange, J., Nair, M.N. Food safety perceptions in beef industry from the 2022 National Beef Quality Audit. Beef Industry Safety Summit, April 3 – 5, 2023, Kansas City, MO. Sullivan, P.A., Davis, M., Nair, M.N., Hess, A., Mooney, D., Edwards-Callaway. L. Pre-slaughter factors affecting mobility, blood parameters, bruising, and muscle pH of finished beef cattle in the United States. American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting, July 16 – 20, 2023, Albuquerque, NM. Lee Pinnell, Carla Weissend Whitlow, Katherine Huebner, Tony Bryant, Jennifer Martin, Tyler Thompson, Cory Wolfe, Daniel Young, Mahesh Nair, Keith Belk, Paul Morley. Fusobacteria or Bacteroidetes? Microbial communities in bovine liver abscesses arise from throughout the gut ” 2023 Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases. CRWAD 2023 will be held January 20th – 24th at the Chicago. Abstract# 77107. Molly McClurg, Wayne Campbell, Paul Morley, Keith Belk, Keri Norman, Lee Pinnell, Cory Wolfe, Mahesh Nair, Noelle Noyes. Does antimicrobial-free beef production reduce transmission of resistant bacteria to human consumers? CRWAD 2023 will be held January 20th – 24th at the Chicago. Abstract# 77124. Molly McClurg, Keith Belk, Enrique Doster, Lee Pinnell, Cory Wolfe, Noelle Noyes, Keri Norman, Emily Rice, Eric Davis, Adam Byers, Harris Cottingham, Mahesh Nair, Wayne Campbell, Paul Morley. Does antimicrobial-free beef production reduce transmission of resistant bacteria to human consumers? 69th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, August 20 -25, 2023. Padova, Italy. Texas - Miller Kerth, C.R. and R.K. Miller.  2023. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?oi=bibs&cluster=8038732404336082735&btnI=1&hl=en"> Trained sensory descriptors and volatile aroma compounds of USDA Select steaks using five grill temperatures</a>.  Meat Science 205, 109319.<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109319"> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.10931</a>9 Kerth, C.R., K.R. Wall, Z.M. Hicks and R.K. Miller.  2023.  Using untargeted metabolomics and volatile aroma compounds to predict expert sensory descriptors and consumer liking of beef loin steaks varying in quality grade, aging time, and degree of doneness. Meat Science 204:109255. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109255"> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109255</a> Laird, H.L., Miller, R.K., Kerth, C.R., Berto, M.C. and K. Adhikari, K.  2023.  Millennial and non-millennial consumer perception of beef, pork, and chicken.  Meat Science (In review). Martinez, H. A., Miller, R.K.,Kerth, C.R., & Bridget E. Wasser, B.E. (2023).  Prediction of Beef Tenderness and Juiciness Using Consumer and Descriptive Sensory Attributes.  Meat Science  205:109292. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109292"> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109292</a> Miller, RK., Gray, R.A., Chris R. Kerth, C.R., Adhikari, K., & Neal, J. (2023). Descriptive beef flavor attributes and consumer acceptance relationships for heavy beef eaters.  Meat and Muscle Biology 7(1): 14449, 1-15. doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.14449">https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.14449</a> Miller, R.K., Luckemeyer, T.J., Kerth, C.R., & Adhikari, A.  2023.  Descriptive beef flavor and texture attributes relationships with  consumer acceptance of US light beef eaters.  Meat Science 204:109252. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109252"> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109252</a>. Kerth, Chris R., Jerrad F. Legako, Dale R. Woerner, J. Chance Brooks, Jessica M. Lancaster, Travis G. O’Quinn, Mahesh Nair and  Rhonda K. Miller. 2023.  A current review of U.S. beef flavor I: Measuring beef flavor.  Meat Science (Submitted). O’Quinn, Travis G., Jerrad F. Legako, Dale R. Woerner,  Chris R. Kerth, Mahesh N. Nair, J. Chance Brooks, Jessica M. Lancaster and Rhonda K. Miller.  2023.  A current review of U.S. beef flavor II: Managing beef flavor .  Meat Science (Submitted). Texas-Osburn Chambers, A. V.; Baker, M. T.; Leggette, H. R.; Osburn, W. N.; Lu, P.  Effects of Message Framing and Information Source on Consumers’ Attitudes Toward an Amino Acid-Based Alternative Meat Curing System. Foods 2023, 12, no. 1535 https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12071535 Broz, N., Modrow, K., Alnajrani, M., Harrison, A., Reeves, A., Wright, T. and Osburn, W.N. Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Enzyme as an Alternative Curing System in Ground beef and Pork. AMSA-2023-1133. 2023, Reciprocal Meat Conference, St. Paul, MN Modrow, K.M. Budau, S.E. and Osburn, W.N. 2023. Curing Meat Products Without Sodium Nitrtie? A Novel Approach to Meat Curing.  Submitted 2023 Texas A&M University Beef Cattle Report. Oklahoma - Mafi Ramanathan, R., F. Kiyimba, S. Suman, G. Mafi. 2023. The potential of metabolomics in meat science: Current applications, trends, and challenges. Journal of Proteomics. 283-284. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2023.104926">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2023.104926</a> Reesman, C., G. Sullivan, M.G. Danao, G.G. Mafi, M. Pfeiffer, R. Ramanathan. 2023. Effects of high-pressure processing on cooked color and eating qualities of dark-cutting beef. 2023. Applied Food Research. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2022.100260">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2022.100260</a> Denzer, M., R. Furbeck, G. Sullivan, M.G. Danao, G.G. Mafi, R. Ramanathan. 2023. Sarcoplasmic model to study the effects of high-pressure processing on beef color. Meat Science. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109127">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109127</a> Kiyimba, F., D. Cassens, S.D. Hartson, J. Rogers, J. Habiger, G.G. Mafi, R. Ramanathan. 2023. Integrative proteomics and metabolomics profiling to understand the biochemical basis of beef muscle darkening at a slightly elevated pH. Journal of Animal Science. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skac376">https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skac376</a> Denzer, M.L., M. Pfeiffer, G.G. Mafi, R. Ramanathan. 2023. Metabolomics and bioinformatic analyses to determine the effects of oxygen exposure within longissimus lumborum steak on beef discoloration. Journal of Animal Science. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad155">https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad155</a> Denzer, M.L., G.G. Mafi, D.L. VanOverbeke, R. Ramanathan. 2022. Effects of glucono delta-lactone enhancement and nitrite-embedded packaging on fresh color, cooked color, and sensory attributes of dark-cutting beef. Applied Food Research. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2022.100189">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2022.100189</a> Idaho – Phil Bass and Michael Colle Shira, K.A., B.M. Murdoch, K.M. Davenport, G.M. Becker, S.Q. Zie, A.M. Colacchio, P.D. Bass, M.J. Colle, and G.K. Murdoch. 2023. Advanced skeletal ossification is associated with genetic variants in chronologically young beef heifers. Genes. Accepted 8-8-23. Van Buren, J.B., K.J. Puga, K.C. Hoffman, J.A. Nasados, P.D. Bass, and M.J. Colle. 2023. Water binders in beef patties increase yield and extend shelf life. Translational Animal Science. Accepted 6-21-23. Jepsen, S.M., J.B. Van Buren, B.S. Epperson, M.L. Heimbuch, K.F. Oliver, J.A. Nasados, M.J. Colle, D.I. Clark and P.D. Bass. 2023. Muscle profiling of the bicepts femoris, gluteus accessories, and gluteus medius comprising the beef top sirloin butt. Meat and Muscle Biology. 7(1):15717, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.15717 Dahlgren, C., S. Wang, A. de Mello, M.J. Colle, D. Burnett, C. O. Lemley, W. Shilling and T. Dinh. 2023. Effects of electrical stimulation on total peptides and free amino acids in beef semimembranosus muscle. Proc. 2023 Reciprocal Meat Conf. 44. Guo, Y., B. Epperson, M. Heimbuch, S. Jepsen, J. Van Buren, C. Shaw, M. Wootton, J. Nasados, J. Piaskowski, P. Bass, and M.J. Colle. 2023. Impact of an alternative fabrication method on the initial temperature and pH decline of the top round from heavy weight beef carcasses. Proc. 2023 Reciprocal Meat Conf. 108. Shaw, C., B. Epperson, M. Wootton, Y. Guo, J. Nasados, P. Bass, I. Popova, J. Van Buren, and M.J. Colle. 2023. Effects of a novel, non-allergenic mustard extract on beef patty shelf-stability. Proc. 2023 Reciprocal Meat Conf. 22. Indiana - Brad Kim Ramanathan, R., Denzer, M., Kiyimba, F., Harr, K., Suman, S., Hunt, M.C., Pfeiffer, M., Mafi, G.G., Kim, Y.H.B.,. 2023. Italian Journal of Animal Science. Role of postmortem bioenergetics in beef colour chemistry. 22:711-727. Zhang, R., Realini, C.E., Kim, Y.H.B., Farouk, M.M. 2023. Challenges and processing strategies to produce high quality frozen meat. Meat Science. 109311. Setyabrata, D., Ma, D., Xie, S., Thimmapuram, J., Cooper B.R., Aryal, U., Kim, Y.H.B.* 2023. Proteomics and metabolomics profiling of meat exudate to understand the impact of postmortem aging on oxidative stability of beef muscles. Food Chemistry X. 18:100660.  Yu, Q., Li, S., Cheng, B., Kim, Y.H.B., Sun, C. 2023. Investigation of changes in proteomes of beef exudate and meat quality attributes during wet-aging. Food Chemistry X. 17:100608. King, A.D., Hunt, M.C., Barbut, S., Claus, J., Cornforth, D., Joseph, P., Kim, Y.H.B., Lindahl, G., Mancini, R., Nair, M., Merok, K., Milkowski, A., Mohan, A., Pohlman, F., Ramanathan, R., Raines, C., Seyfert, M., Sorheim, O., Suman, S., Webber, M. Meat Color Measurements Guideline. 2023. Meat and Muscle Biology. 6:12473, 1-81. Kansas- Michael Chao Lybarger, K. R., E. S. Beyer, K. J. Farmer, L. A. Egger, L. N. Drey, J. L. Vipham, M. D. Zumbaugh, M. D. Chao and T. G. O'Quinn (2023). Determination of consumer color and discoloration thresholds for purchase of retail ground beef. Meat and Muscle Biology, accepted, in press. Velasco Ayala, C., L. A. Koulicoff, C. K. Y. Chun, E. Boyle, T. O'Quinn, M. Richards, C. Jones and *M. D. Chao (2023). Exploring the effects of incorporating egg powder containing phospholipase α2 antibody to ground striploin on its shelf-life. Meat and Muscle Biology, accepted, in press. Koulicoff, L. A., Welter, T., Heilman, T., O'Quinn, S., Hansen, E., Huff-Lonergan, M. D. Schulte, H., Jeneske and *M. D. Chao (2023). Matrix Metalloproteinase- 9 may contribute to collagen structure modification during postmortem aging of beef. Meat Science 205:109321. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109321 Koulicoff, L. A., P. A. Hammond, C. K.Y. Chun, H. Jeneske, G. Magnin-Bissel, T. G. O’Quinn, M. D. Zumbaugh and *M. D. Chao (2023). Structural changes in collagen and aggrecan structures during extended aging may improve beef tenderness. Meat Science 201:109172. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109172 Chun, C. K. Y., M. Roth, R. Welti, M. P. Richards, W. Hsu, T. G. O’Quinn and *M. D. Chao (2023). Exploring the potential effect of phospholipase A2 antibody to extend beef shelf-life in a beef liposome model system. Meat Science 198:109091. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2022.109091. Kansas- Tonsor, Schroeder, and Coffey Coffey, B.K., T.C. Schroder, and G.T. Tonsor. “A Novel Approach to Boxed Beef Market Reports.” Food Policy. Forthcoming Bina, J.D. and G.T. Tonsor. “Demand Dashboards: Interactive Tools to Communicate Consumer Behavior.” Applied Economics Teaching Resources. 2023.0342. Schroeder, T.C., G.T. Tonsor, and B. Coffey. “Fed Dairy Cattle Market Reporting: Changing Marketing Methods, Regional Variation, and Hedonic Modeling.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review. Forthcoming Rogers, S.G., T.C. Schroeder, G.T. Tonsor, and B.K. Coffey. “Describing Variation in Formula Base Prices for U.S. Fed Cattle: A Hedonic Approach.” Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Forthcoming Luke, J. and G.T. Tonsor. “USDA Long-Term Meat Trade Projections: A Comprehensive Evaluation.” Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Forthcoming Schroeder, T.C., B. Coffey, G.T. Tonsor. “Hedonic Modeling to Facilitate Price Reporting and Fed Cattle Market Transparency.” Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy. Forthcoming

Impact Statements

Kansas – Michael Chao Dr. Chao’s research at Kansas State University can be roughly categorized into 3 major areas: 1. Understanding the relationship between collagen characteristics and beef texture. 2. Using lipidomics and proteomics to understand the alterations of various beef quality attributes. 3. Improving the values of lower quality beef cuts.

Date of Annual Report: 08/21/2024

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 06/16/2024 - 06/16/2024
Period the Report Covers: 09/01/2023 - 06/30/2024

Participants

Brief Summary of Minutes

The meeting was called to order by Michael Colle at 2:00 pm Central Time. A welcome and brief announcements were made. Michael Colle announced that he will be stepping down from chair once the final report is submitted.

The administrative report was shared as a ppt with the project members to review on their own time.

Station reports were then shared beginning with Payam Vahmani who shared that a bacterium (Cutibacterium acnes AP1) could contribute to high t10 fatty acid content of beef. Phil Bass discussed alternative fabrication of heavyweight beef carcasses and its effect on meat quality and fiber type. Brad Kim shared information on their freeze-thaw of beef products study as well as long-term aging. Ana Paula Salim (Dr. Suman’s lab) discussed aging influence on color, lipid oxidation, and tenderness of biceps femoris cuts in lamb. Tracey Scheffler visited on her work looking at the variation in tenderness within Bos Indicus cattle with a focus on postpartum metabolism. There are differences in mitochondrial functionalities. Amilton de Mello shared his research on microRNA - they inhibit the translation of proteins. Some microRNAs are specific to beef. Carol Lorenzen has been working on moving the needle at NIFA to include meat in their funding programs. Kerri Gehring along with others on the project discussed the publication status of the beef quality audit. They also took a survey on the freezing the thawing process from different establishments - most had no idea how long it was taking to freeze. Liver abscesses in beef x dairy cattle was also discussed. Gary Sullivan and his team have been looking at using high pressure processing to improve the color of dark cutting beef. Additionally, they are looking at alternative curing of beef products and a genetic defect related to glycogen in cattle. Derico compared the freezing of steaks to roasts, shipping optimization of beef, flavor studies, and microbiome of fresh meat. Chaoyu is a new member and rebuilding the program at the University of Connecticut. Their team is working on proteomics/metabolomics. Mahesh Nair discussed the national beef quality audit, impact of long term deep chilling (-2C), and evaluating the interaction between bacterial growth and color. Duane Wulf discussed the F94 myostatin mutation in dairy x beef steers, fatty acid composition of grain and grass finished beef, and a new product that could reduce stress in beef cattle leading to improved product quality. Michael Chao shared his research looking at Alpha-gal syndrome. A tick bite leads to red meat allergies. Michael Colle discussed an upcoming project looking at genetically testing dairy x beef steers and recently finished projects focused on various aging strategies and a novel mustard extract.

Potential opportunities for the group to write a review paper on freezing/thawing of beef. Opportunity to have W5177 members present as part of reciprocation sessions at the 2025 Reciprocal Meat Conference. Several members have given or have been invited to give keynote speeches; they will send titles and conference names to Michael Colle. There will be a mid project review in the coming years. We need to encourage Agricultural Economists to participate in the meetings.

Meeting was adjourned

Accomplishments

Arkansas - Derico Setyabrata The meat science faculty at University of Arkansas has been conducting several research projects in the past year focusing on freezing processes, color stability, product shipping optimization and waste utilization. California - Tim Hackmann, Payam Vahmani, Xiang Yang Beef is high in t10 fatty acids, which may reduce beef quality and healthfulness to consumers.  It is known that t10 fatty acids originate from bacteria in the rumen, but these bacteria have been elusive.  Here we identified a bacterium (Cutibacterium acnes AP1) that forms a t10 fatty acid (t10,c12-18:2) during biohydrogenation of linoleic acid.  This bacterium and others forming t10 fatty acids could be important targets for improving the quality and healthfulness of beef.  Dr. Yang’s lab continues to work on the assessment of antimicrobial resistance in beef production. One of the projects was to evaluate the effects of a supplemental blend of essential oils and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 on the fecal resistome of steers. The ongoing project is to evaluate how extended colostrum feeding affect cattle health, performance and magnitude of antimicrobial resistance. Colorado – Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk The meat science faculty at Colorado State University (CSU) has been actively engaged in several research projects during the past year focusing on palatability, processing, marketing of beef, prevention of food-borne illness, and consumer preferences for beef. The National Beef Quality Audit research was completed and published in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition, the effect of low temperature on beef palatability and shelf-life was also investigated. Co-PI Mahesh Nair was awarded the 2024 Research and Scholarship Award by the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University. Connecticut – Chaoyu Zhai The meat science faculty at the University of Connecticut (UConn) developed a new peptidomic workflow for animal tissue diagnosis with low cost, high sensitivity, and fast matching speed, as well as the first analytical method to investigate non-targeted proteome degradation, which will be submitted for patent in the following year. By using these two methods, UConn meat scientist has been actively engaged in several research projects during the past year focusing on the effects of preharvest and postharvest factors on bovine postmortem muscle proteolysis and its relation to meat quality development. Dr. Zhai’s first federal competitive grant application as primary investigator to NIFA was ranked as outstanding by the Animal Nutrition, Growth, and Lactation program and recommended for four-year funding ($650K) starting in August 2024. Florida - Tracy Scheffler Tracy Scheffler’s lab is involved in research projects focusing on quality and yield of Brahman carcasses, and proteolysis and tenderness of Brahman longissimus. Ongoing work includes investigation of mitochondrial functional properties in relation to meat quality attributes. Idaho – Phil Bass and Michael Colle Beef meat science faculty efforts at the University of Idaho have been conducting research through the past year with focus on beef carcass quality and utilization of natural antioxidants to extend shelf life of beef patties. Focus has been on heavy weight carcasses and the effect of those carcasses on the merchandising of beef round cuts. Research has been conducted on both fresh and precooked beef patties utilizing a novel mustard extract alone and in combination with potato extract or rosemary extract. Aging strategies including freezing with dry ice and suspended fresh aging were evaluated. Lastly, various gluten free breddings were evaluated for use in finger steaks. Indiana - Brad Kim Dr. Brad Kim at Purdue University has been working on determining the impacts of post-harvest processing factors (developing “Smart Aging”, in particular) on meat quality attributes. In this reporting period, Dr.Kim’s group worked on several beef projects – 1) NCBA funded fresh beef tumbling and aged/frozen beef for better quality and 2) continue working on USDA-AFRI grant project - the impacts of extended postmortem aging on color and redox stability of different beef muscles  Kansas - Michael Chao Michael Chao’s lab has investigated the use of electrostatic field (EF) to assist with the freezing process of beef striploins. The 4 EF treatments were 0, 2, 4, or 8 kV, and we measured how the EF application can affect beef color stability during the retail display of previously frozen beef striploins. In addition, we quantified alpha-gal content in different red meat products to provide a better understanding of how this allergen can trigger red meat allergy. Kentucky - Surendranath Suman Dr. Suman’s lab examined innovative strategies to improve color stability of fresh beef with the ultimate goal to enhance retail color shelf-life and minimize discoloration-induced sales loss in the beef industry. Oklahoma - Gretchen Mafi Researchers at Oklahoma State have completed several projects on factors impacting dark cutting beef, freeze/thaw cycles on palatability, purge loss and yield, and research to determine surface area effects on oxygen scavengers in modified atmosphere packages. Texas - Wesley N. Osburn, Jeffrey W. Savell, Kerri B. Gehring A study was conducted to determine the impact of L-arginine (Arg) concentration on the ability of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) system to cure beef jerky and its effect on product attributes using two validated thermal processes. Arg treated samples showed no significant differences among concentration for any analysis with the exception of residual nitrite values at 1000 and 5000 ppm. It was observed that high temperature thermal processing treated samples tended to have slightly higher cured meat color values, a* values and residual nitrate and nitrite values low temperature thermal processing. As length of storage increased, nitrosohemochrome and a* values decreased as storage day. Results suggest that 1000 ppm Arg treated beef jerky thermally processed at higher temperatures were more similar to values observed for sodium nitrite treated control samples compared to the low temperature thermal processing. A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of various combinations of refrigerated and frozen storage on quality and palatability attributes in ribeye roll and top sirloin butt subprimals and steaks. USDA Choice boneless ribeye rolls (n = 40) and top sirloin butts (n = 40) were aged under refrigeration for 21 d before being assigned to 1 of 4 treatments. Treatments included (1) Frozen subprimals/Frozen steaks, in which subprimals were frozen for 30 d, thawed for 7 d, and portioned into steaks that were frozen for 30 d, then thawed for 2 d before evaluation; (2) Frozen subprimals/Refrigerated steaks, in which subprimals were frozen for 30 d, thawed for 7 d, and portioned into steaks for evaluation; (3) Refrigerated subprimals/Frozen steaks, in which subprimals were portioned into steaks that were frozen for 30 d, then thawed for 2 d before evaluation; and (4) Refrigerated subprimals/Refrigerated steaks, in which subprimals were portioned into steaks for evaluation within 7 d of portioning. Beef steaks from the ribeye rolls and top sirloin butts were evaluated to determine the impact of storage treatments on purge, color, cooking yield, tenderness, and consumer acceptability. For both subprimals, purge varied (P < 0.0001) among steak treatments, with Refrigerated/Refrigerated being the lowest for both subprimals. For both steak types, cook yield was highest (P < 0.05) for Refrigerated/ Refrigerated treatment. Refrigerated/Refrigerated ribeye steaks had among the lowest Warner-Bratzler shear force values, and similar (P > 0.05) consumer ratings were observed for ribeye steaks. Frozen/Frozen top sirloin steaks had the lowest (P < 0.05) consumer ratings for overall liking, flavor liking, and juiciness liking. Storage conditions played a greater role in quality and consumer acceptability for top sirloin steaks than ribeye steaks. Overall, freezing both subprimals and steaks posed the greatest challenge in quality and palatability.   For the National Beef Tenderness Survey – 2022, beef retail steaks from establishments across 11 US cities and beef foodservice steaks from establishments in 6 US cities were evaluated by consumer sensory evaluations and Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) force analyses. The retail tenderloin had the lowest (P < 0.05) WBS force value compared to other retail cuts. The retail steak with the greatest (P < 0.05) WBS force value was the top sirloin. Foodservice ribeye and top loin steaks had greater (P<0.05) WBS force values compared to the tenderloin. All retail top blade, bone-in ribeye, Porterhouse, and tenderloin steaks were categorized as“very tender” (<31.4 N). There were no (P > 0.05) differences in WBS force values among USDA quality grade groups for foodservice steaks. Retail tenderloin steaks received the highest (P < 0.05) consumer rating for overall like/dislike, tenderness like/dislike,tenderness level, flavor like/dislike, and juiciness like/dislike compared to all other retail cuts. There were no (P>0.05)differences among the 4 foodservice cuts for consumer sensory ratings of overall like/dislike, tenderness like/dislike, tenderness level, flavor like/dislike, and juiciness like/dislike. There were no (P > 0.05) USDA quality grade differences for ribeye, top loin, top sirloin, and tenderloin foodservice steaks for overall like/dislike, tenderness like/dislike, tenderness level, flavor like/dislike, and juiciness like/dislike. Regardless of source (foodservice or retail), USDA grade group, or beef cut, measures of tenderness in this survey reveal ratings and values that should meet most consumer expectations in the marketplace.   The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA)-2022 serves as a benchmark of the current market cow and bull sectors of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. From September 2021 through May 2022, livestock trailers (n = 125), live animals (n = 5,430), and post-slaughter hide-on animals (n = 6,674) were surveyed at 20 commercial beef processing facilities across the U.S. Cattle were transported in a variety of trailer types for an average distance of 490.6 km and a mean transport time of 6.3 h. During transit, cattle averaged 2.3 m2 of trailer space per animal indicating sufficient space was provided according to industry guidelines. Of all trailers surveyed, 55.3% transported cattle from an auction barn to a processing facility. When surveyed, 63.6% of all truck drivers reported to be Beef Quality Assurance certified. The majority (77.0%) of cattle were sound when evaluated for mobility. Mean body condition scores (9-point scale) for beef cows and bulls were 3.8 and 4.4, respectively, whereas mean body condition scores (5-point scale) for dairy cows and bulls were 2.3 and 2.6, respectively. Of cattle surveyed, 45.1% had no visible live animal defects, and 37.9% had only a single defect. Of defects present in cows, 64.6% were attributed to an udder problem. Full udders were observed in 47.5% of all cows. Nearly all cattle were free of visible abscesses and knots (97.9% and 98.2%, respectively). No horns were observed in 89.4% of all cattle surveyed. Beef cattle were predominantly black-hided (68.9% and 67.4% of cows and bulls, respectively). Holstein was the predominant dairy animal observed and accounted for 85.7% of the cows and 98.0% of the bulls. Only 3.1% of all animals had no form of identification. Findings from the NBQA-2022 show improvements within the industry and identified areas that required continued education and research to improve market cow and bull welfare and beef quality.

Publications

California - Tim Hackmann, Payam Vahmani, Xiang Yang Xu Y, Hsu M-F, Haj FG, Vahmani P. Effects of beef fat enriched with trans vaccenic acid and cis9, trans11-CLA on glucose homoeostasis and hepatic lipid accumulation in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. British Journal of Nutrition. 2024:1-10. DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/s000711452400062x">10.1017/S000711452400062X</a> Xu Y, Dugan MER, Mapiye C, Vahmani P. Health effects of ruminant trans fatty acids with emphasis on type 2 diabetes. Frontiers in Animal Science. 2023;4. DOI:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1278966">10.3389/fanim.2023.1278966</a>   Colorado - Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk Gonzalez, S.V., Zhai, C., Hernandez-Sintharakao, M.J., Geornaras, I., Nair, M.N.* (2024). Evaluation of beef retail shelf-life following extended storage at low temperatures. Accepted in Meat and Muscle Biology. Sullivan, P., Davis, M., Nair, M.N., Hess, A., Mooney, D., Edwards-Callaway., Lily Pre-slaughter factors affecting mobility, blood parameters, bruising, and muscle pH of finished beef cattle in the United States. Translational Animal Science. 10.1093/tas/txae035 Davis, M.K., Sullivan, P.A., Hess, A.M., Nair, M.N., Mooney, D.F., Edwards-Callaway, L.N. (2024) Benchmarking current pre-slaughter management factors, welfare indicators, and meat quality outcomes at commercial fed cattle processing facilities in the United States. Translational Animal Science.  Volume 8, 2024, txad150, https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txad150 Smith, C.L., Thompson, T.W., Harr, K., Goretska, M., Mayer, T., Schwartz, T., Borders, S.E., Gehring, K.B., Bass, P., Pfeiffer, M., Mafi, G., Pendell, D., Morgan, B., Griffin, D., Savell, J.W., Scanga, J., Nair, M.N., Belk, K. (2024) 2022 National Beef Quality Audit Phase 1: face-to-face and digital interviews. Translational Animal Science, Volume 8, 2024, txae034,https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae034  O'Quinn, T.G., Legako, J.F., Woerner, D.R., Kerth, C.R., Nair, M.N., Brooks, J.C., Lancaster, J.M., Miller, R.K. (2024). A current review of US beef flavor II: Managing beef flavor. Meat Science p.109403. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109403">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109403</a> Smith, C.L., Gonzalez, S.V., Metcalf, J., Geornaras, I., Nair, M.N.* (2024). Differences in spoilage microflora growth kinetics could be contributing to beef muscle-specific color stability. Meat and Muscle Biology, <a href="https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.16915">https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.16915</a>. Gonzalez, S.V., Rice, E., Geornaras, I., Nair, M.N.* (2023). Evaluation of beef palatability following extended storage at low temperature. Meat and Muscle Biology, <a href="https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.16246">https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.16246</a>. Pinnell, L.J., Young, J.D., Thompson, T.W., Wolfe, C.A., Bryant, T.C., Nair, M.N., Richeson, J.T., Morley, P.S. (2023). Establishing the link between microbial communities in bovine liver abscesses and the gastrointestinal tract. Animal Microbiome, 5, 58. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s42523-023-00278-0">https://doi.org/10.1186/s42523-023-00278-0</a> Florida – Tracy Scheffler Rodriguez, E.E., H. Hamblen, S. Flowers, J.D. Leal, C.C. Carr, T.L. Scheffler, and R.G. Mateescu. 2023. Carcass and meat quality in Brangus steers. Translational Animal Science. 7: txad021. doi:10.1093/tas/txad021  Ramos, P.M., T.L. Scheffler, M. Beline, J. Bodmer, D.E. Gerrard, and S.L. Silva. 2024. Challenges and opportunities of using Bos indicus cattle to meet consumers’ demand for quality beef. Meat Science. 207:209375. doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109375 Ramos, P.M., S.E. Wohlgemuth, C.A. Gingerich, B. Hawryluk, M.T. Smith, L.C. Bell, and T.L. Scheffler. 2024. Postmortem mitochondria function in longissimus lumborum of Angus and Brahman steers. Meat Science. doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2024.109538 Idaho – Phil Bass and Michael Colle Epperson, B.S., J.B. Van Buren, M.L. Heimbuch, K.F. Oliver, S.M. Jepsen, J.A. Nasados, W.J. Price, R.J. Haggerty, M.J. Colle, and P.D. Bass. 2024. Beef chuck, sirloin and round determined suitable for use as beef finger steaks. Meat and Muscle Biology. Accepted. Van Buren, J.B., B.S. Epperson, S.M. Jepsen, M. Heimbuch, K.F. Oliver, J.A. Nasados, P.D. Bass, and M.J. Colle. 2024. Acerola cherry and rosemary extracts improve color and delay lipid oxidation in previously frozen beef. Foods. Accepted. Thompson, J., M. Kibler, B. Dhal, B. Epperson, K. Puga, J. Van Buren, P. Bass, K. Smith, and M.J. Colle. 2024. Willingness to Pay for Alternate Merchandising Strategy of Beef Top Round.” Journal of Food Distribution Research. Accepted. Van Buren, J.B., B.J. Buseman, T.M. Weber, J.A. Nasados, J.M. Lancaster, J.H. Smart, J.A. Church, W.J. Price, P.D. Bass, and M.J. Colle. 2023. Topical application of acerola cherry powder in combination with rosemeary extract extends the shelf life of beef chuck roll and bone-in short rib steaks. Meat and Muscle Biology. 7(1):15705, 1-8. doi:10.22175/mmb.15705. Indiana - Brad Kim Jin, X.C., Peng, D.Q., Kim, W.S., Park, J.S., Lee, J.H., Kim, Y.H.B., Lee, H.G. 2024. All-trans retinoic acid drives opposite response to adipogenic and myogenic processes in bovine stromal vascular cells. Meat and Muscle Biology. 8:16978, 1-13. Ramanathan, R., Denzer, M., Kiyimba, F., Harr, K., Suman, S., Hunt, M.C., Pfeiffer, M., Mafi, G.G., Kim, Y.H.B.,. 2023. Italian Journal of Animal Science. Role of postmortem bioenergetics in beef colour chemistry. 22:711-727. Zhang, R., Realini, C.E., Kim, Y.H.B., Farouk, M.M. 2023. Challenges and processing strategies to produce high quality frozen meat. Meat Science. 109311. Setyabrata, D., Ma, D., Xie, S., Thimmapuram, J., Cooper B.R., Aryal, U., Kim, Y.H.B.* 2023. Proteomics and metabolomics profiling of meat exudate to understand the impact of postmortem aging on oxidative stability of beef muscles. Food Chemistry X. 18:100660. Yu, Q., Li, S., Cheng, B., Kim, Y.H.B., Sun, C. 2023. Investigation of changes in proteomes of beef exudate and meat quality attributes during wet-aging. Food Chemistry X. 17:100608. Kim, Y.H.B.*, Jang, A. Arihara, K., Sakata, R. 2024. Ethnic Meat Products| Japan and Korea. In: Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences 3rd edition, Oxford: Elsevier. pp. 569-579.   Keeton, J.T. Eddy, S., Núñez de González, M.T., TriggG, A. Kim, Y.H.B.* 2024. Chemical and physical characteristics of meat. In: Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences 3rd edition, Oxford: Elsevier. pp. 684-694.   Kansas- Michael Chao Jeneske, H. J., C. K. Y. Chun, L. A. Koulicoff, S. R. Hene, J. Vipham, T. G. O’Quinn, M. D. Zumbaugh and M. D. Chao (2024). Effect of accelerated aging on shelf-stability, product loss, sensory and biochemical characteristics in 2 lower quality beef cuts. Meat Science 213:109513. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2024.109513. Corrette, G. E., H. J. Jeneske, L. A. Rimmer, L. A. Koulicoff, S. R. Hene, M. D. Zumbaugh, S. Eilert, B. Flanders, T. G. O’Quinn and M. D. Chao (2024). An investigation on the effect of applying electrostatic field assisted thawing on the quality of previously frozen beef striploins. Meat and Muscle Biology, 8(1): 17199, 1-16. doi: 10.22175/mmb.17199 Decker, L. K., E. S. Beyer, M. D. Chao, M. D. Zumbaugh, J. L. Vipham and T. G. O'Quinn (2024). Effects of thawing method on palatability traits, quality attributes, and thawing characteristics of beef steaks. Meat and Muscle Biology, 8(1): 17687, 1-17.doi: 10.22175/mmb.17687 Beyer, E. S., K. J. Farmer, E. G. Kidwell, S. G. Davis, K. Harr, M. D. Chao, M. D. Zumbaugh, J. L. Vipham, M. Hunt and T. G. O'Quinn (2024). Change in myoglobin denaturation and physiochemical properties among three degrees of doneness and three muscles. Meat and Muscle Biology, 8(1): 16919, 1-12. doi: 10.22175/mmb.16919 Beyer, E. S., L. K. Decker, E. G. Kidwell, A. L. McGinn, M. D. Chao, M. D. Zumbaugh, J. L. Vipham and T. G. O'Quinn (2024). Evaluation of fresh and frozen beef strip loins of equal aging periods by trained sensory evaluation. Meat and Muscle Biology, 8(1): 16903, 1-13. doi:10.22175/mmb.16903 O'Quinn, T. G., L. A. Egger, K. J. Farmer, E. S. Beyer, K. R. Lybarger, J. L. Vipham, M. D. Zumbaugh and M. D. Chao (2024). Consumer evaluation of plant-based ground beef alternatives in “real-world” eating scenarios. Meat and Muscle Biology, 8(1): 16904, 1–14. doi:10.22175/mmb.16904 Kansas - Logan Britton Neill, C.L. and L.L. Britton. 2024. “Are All Meat Substitutes? A Basket and Expenditure Based Approach.” Agribusiness: an International Journal. Accepted 6-13-2024. Kentucky - Surendranath Suman Faustman, C.; Suman, S.P.; Ramanathan, R. 2023. The eating quality of meat: I Color. In Lawrie's Meat Science (Ninth Edition). ISBN: 978-0-323-85408-5. Edited by F. Toldra. Elsevier, Oxford, United Kingdom. Chapter 11, pp 363-392. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-85408-5.00023-6 Suman, S.P.; Wang, Y.; Gagaoua, M.; Kiyimba, F.; Ramanathan, R. 2023. Proteomic approaches to characterize biochemistry of fresh beef color. Journal of Proteomics, 281, 104893. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2023.104893 Ramanathan, R.; Denzer, M.; Kiyimba, F.; Harr, K.; Suman, S.P.; Hunt, M.C.; Pfeiffer, M.; Mafi, G.G., Kim, Y.H.B. 2023. Role of postmortem bioenergetics in beef colour chemistry. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 22(1): 711-727. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2023.2240357 Ramanathan, R.; Kiyimba, F.; Suman, S.P.; Mafi, G.G. 2023. The potential of metabolomics in meat science: Current applications, future trends, and challenges. Journal of Proteomics, 283, 104926. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2023.104926 Salim, A.P.A.A.; Suman, S.P.; Viana, F.M.; Canto, A.C.V.D.C.S.; Monteiro, M.L.G.; Adam Conte-Junior, C.; Mano, S.B., 2023. Influence of harvest method on proximate composition, texture profile and protein oxidation of beef from grain-fed Nellore cattle. Acta Scientiarum. Animal Sciences, 45, e59110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4025/actascianimsci.v45i1.59110 Ramanathan, R.; Suman, S.P.; Kiyimba, F.; Li, S.; Chen, J. 2023. Myoglobin post-translational modifications in high- and normal-pH beef. American Chemical Society Annual Meeting, March 2023, Indianapolis, IN. Abstract # 3825391. Oklahoma - Gretchen Mafi Scott, M.A., M.L. Denzer, R. Kumar, G.G. Mafi, M. Pfeiffer, S. Krishnan, and R. Ramanathan. 2023. Effects of light and oxygen conditions on nonenzymatic metmyoglobin reduction in vitro. Meat and Muscle Biol. DOI: 10.22175/mmb.16760. <ol start="2023"> <li>Reesman, G. Sullivan, M. Danao, G.G. Mafi, M. Pfeiffer, and R. Ramanathan. 2023. Effects of high-pressure processing on cooked color and eating qualities of dark-cutting beef. Applied Food Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.afres.2022.100260.</li> </ol> Denzer, M.L., M Pfeiffer, G.G. Mafi, and Ramanathan. 2023. Metabolomics and bioinformatic analysis to determine the effects of oxygen exposure within longissimus lumborum steak on beef discoloration. J. Ani. Sci. DOI: 10.1093/jas/skad155. Denzer, M., R. Furbeck, G. Sullivan, M. Danao, G.G. Mafi, and R. Ramanathan. 2023. Sarcoplasmic model to study the effects of high-pressure processing on beef color. Meat Science. DOI: 101016/j.meatsci.2023.109127.  <ol start="2023"> <li>Ramanathan, M. Denzer, F. Kiyimba, K. Harr, S. Suman, M. Hunt, M. Pfeiffer, G.G. Mafi, and B. Kim. 2023. Role of postmortem bioenergetics in beef color chemistry. Italian J. Ani. Sci. DOI: 10.10180/18280851X.2023.2240357.</li> </ol> Reesman, C., G. Sullivan, M. Danao, M. Pfeiffer, S. More, G.G. Mafi, and R. Ramanathan. 2023. Use of high-pressure processing to improve redness of dark-cutting beef. Meat and Muscle Bio. DOI: 10.22175/mmb.15716. Texas - Wesley N. Osburn, Jeffrey W. Savell, Kerri B. Gehring Benjamin J. Carpenter,  Thomas W. Dobbins, M.  Sebastian Hernandez , Samantha N. Barker,  Kaitlyn R. Loomas, Wesley N. Osburn and Jerrad F. Legako. 2024.  Foods , 10, x.<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/xxxxx"> https://doi.org/10.3390/xxxxx</a> (Accepted) Smith, T. J., Bher, A., Auras, R., Bowser, T., Denzer, M. L., Alnajrani, M., Osburn, W., Mafi, G., Pfeiffer, M. & Ramanathan, R., (2024) “Effects of Sodium Nitrite and Tocopherol Incorporated Poly(Lactic Acid) Biodegradable Films on Dark-Cutting Beef Color”, Meat and Muscle Biology 8(1): 17006, 1-15. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.17006"> https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.17006</a> Curry, S. A., A. N. Arnold, J. W. Savell, and K. B. Gehring. 2023. Quality and palatability of beef subprimals subjected to various frozen/refrigerated storage conditions. Meat Muscle Biol. 7:16144. doi:10.22175/mmb.16144

Impact Statements

Arkansas - Derico Setyabrata The research in Arkansas is expected to further understand factors impacting beef quality and mechanism related to discoloration and shelf-life. California - Tim Hackmann, Payam Vahmani, Xiang Yang Our long-term goal is to manipulate the composition of beef fat and make beef more marketable to consumers. This goal directly enhances competitiveness and value of US beef. The research projects conducted in Dr. Yang’s lab provide valuable insights into antimicrobial resistance in cattle production, serving as a valuable resource for producers, government regulators, and a source of education for consumers. Colorado - Mahesh Nair and Keith Belk The research conducted at Colorado State University will improve our understanding of postmortem metabolism and beef quality development, especially quality parameters such as color, tenderness, and flavor. In addition, it will help to improve the shelf life and safety of beef products in the U.S. Connecticut – Chaoyu Zhai The research conducted at the University of Connecticut will improve our understanding of the relation between postmortem proteolysis and meat quality development, which will minimize beef quality defects to ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of US beef production. Florida - Tracy Scheffler Research conducted at the University of Florida aims to enhance the understanding of early postmortem metabolism and its influence on development of beef quality attributes. A major aim is to identify factors that contribute to variation in proteolysis, particularly in Bos indicus beef, in order to improve product quality and consistency. Idaho – Phil Bass and Michael Colle The previous and ongoing research at Idaho continues to work to improve product quality and consistency. Our main goal is always to find ways to increase beef consumption and acceptance which thereby adds value to all segments of the beef industry. Indiana - Brad Kim Dr. Kim’s research program at Purdue University centers around three major research objectives: 1) identify fundamental biochemical mechanisms governing meat quality attributes, such as color, tenderness, flavor, water-holding capacity and juiciness, 2) develop innovative technologies from the live animal pre-harvest to the post-harvest chain of events to improve meat quality, and 3) identify and develop novel meat or non-meat ingredients to create values from underutilized low-value sources. Kansas-Michael Chao Dr. Chao’s research at Kansas State University can be roughly categorized into 3 major areas: 1. Understanding the relationship between collagen characteristics and beef texture. 2. Using lipidomics and proteomics to understand the alterations of various beef quality attributes. 3. Improving the values of lower quality beef cuts. Kansas - Logan Britton The research conducted will help understand U.S. and international consumer behavior toward purchasing and consuming beef products. The results from this project could help stakeholders determine effective strategies, such as pricing, attribute callout, etc. to market products among different consumer segments. Kentucky - Surendranath Suman The results from this project could be exploited as a post-harvest strategy to improve retail color stability and tenderness of beef biceps femoris and increase the value of this underutilized muscle. Oklahoma - Gretchen Mafi Research in our lab continues to find methods to improve quality and improve retail color stability to reduce waste and improve efficiency and ultimately value. Texas - Wesley N. Osburn, Jeffrey W. Savell, Kerri B. Gehring It is expected that investigating cofactors required to activate the eNOS enzyme will improve our knowledge and understanding of the chemical, physical, and biological properties of meat products cured via an amino acid alternative curing system this alternative curing method by eliminating the need for direct addition of sodium nitrite. We expect to achieve better understanding of the interconnected biochemical mechanisms contributing to the functionality of the NOS system in post rigor skeletal muscle which will be translatable into actionable compositions and processes with practical application in curing beef products. From Savell and Gehring, several research projects were completed, and multiple grants have been awarded during the past year. In addition several graduate and undergraduate students were trained during this time period.