Inclusion of Beef Heart in Ground Beef Patties Alters Quality Characteristics and Consumer Acceptability as Assessed by the Application of Electronic Nose and Tongue Technology.

Consumer purchasing of beef is often driven by the trinity of flavor, palatability, and convenience. Currently, beef patties in the United States are manufactured with fat and lean trimmings derived from skeletal muscles. A reduction in total beef supply may require the use of animal by-product utilization such as variety meats to achieve patty formulations. The current study aimed to assess textural, color, and flavor characteristics in addition to volatile compounds through electronic technology, e-nose and e-tongue, of ground beef patties formulated with beef heart. Ground beef patties were manufactured with 0%, 6%, 12%, or 18% beef heart, with the remainder of the meat block being shoulder clod-derived ground beef. Patties (n = 65/batch/treatment) within each batch (n = 3) with each treatment were randomly allocated to cooked color (n = 17/batch/treatment), Allo-Kramer shear force (AKSF; n = 17/batch/treatment), texture profile analysis (TPA; n = 6/batch/treatment), cooking loss (n = 17/batch/treatment), consumer panel (n = 3/batch/treatment), e-nose (n = 1/batch/treatment), and e-tongue (n = 1/batch/treatment) analysis groups. Patties containing beef heart did not require additional cooking time (p = 0.1325) nor exhibit greater cooking loss (p = 0.0803). Additionally, inclusion rates of beef heart increased hardness (p = 0.0030) and chewiness values (p = 0.0316) in TPA, were internally redder (p = 0.0001), and reduced overall liking by consumer panelists (p = 0.0367). Lastly, patties containing beef heart exhibited greater red-to-brown (p = 0.0003) and hue angle (p = 0.0001) values than control patties. The results suggest that beef heart inclusion does alter ground beef quality characteristics and consumer acceptability.

Comparative growth performance of backgrounded beef heifers treated with an injectable fixed-dose combination (0.2 mg/kg doramectin + 6.0 mg/kg levamisole hydrochloride) or single-active (0.2 mg/kg ivermectin) endectocide.

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) can negatively impact all production classes of cattle, particularly growing cattle. A global decline in efficacy of broad-spectrum single-active anthelmintics requires alternative GIN control methods without the aid of novel drug classes. Here, we present a new fixed-dose combination injectable (FDCI) endectocide for cattle that combines doramectin (5 mg/ml) and levamisole hydrochloride (150 mg/ml). A 56-day comparative performance confinement backgrounding trial was conducted in stocker beef heifers (n = 1548) with confirmed GIN infections to (1) compare the Day 14 post-treatment effectiveness of the new FDCI endectocide to pen mates treated with the injectable single-active endectocide ivermectin, as evidenced by fecal egg counts (FECs) conducted for a randomly selected subset (10%) of both treatment groups, and (2) determine if the greater GIN control by the FDCI evidenced in the subsample improved growth performance in all FDCI-treated heifers. Heifers were procured in four cohorts, with a 10-week timeframe between enrollment of the first and last cohort. Treatment groups were comingled within dirt-floor pens (n = 31; 7-8 per cohort) and offered a standard backgrounding diet ad libitum for the study duration. Heifers with enrollment FEC ≥ 30 eggs per gram (EPG) were randomly allocated to receive the FDCI (n = 773) or ivermectin (n = 775) on Day 0. Day 0 FECs conducted on 10% of enrolled heifers (FDCI, n = 78; ivermectin, n = 79) were not different between treatment groups (p = 0.491). Day 14 FECs for the same heifers were reduced compared to Day 0 within each treatment group. Heifers given the FDCI had lower Day 14 AM FECs and higher FEC reduction test (FECRT) result (0.07 EPG; 0.999) than ivermectin-treated heifers (21.58 EPG; FECRT = 0.850). Mean body weight (BW) was not different between treatment groups on Day 0 (p = 0.2762) and Day 14 (p = 0.2010) but was significantly greater (p = 0.0007) for FDCI-treated heifers compared to ivermectin-treated heifers on Day 56. Compared to ivermectin-treated heifers, overall average daily gain from all evaluation periods (Day 0-14, Day 14-56, and Day 0-56) was greater (p ≤ 0.0052) in FDCI-treated heifers, and FDCI-treated heifers had 4.223 kg greater total weight gain over the 56-day study. The FDCI (0.2 mg/kg doramectin + 6.0 mg/kg levamisole hydrochloride) was highly effective in reducing GIN infections and thus promoted improved growth performance in beef heifers over a 56-day backgrounding period.

Influence of Sous Vide Cooking on Ground Beef Patties.

With rising consumer demand for fast-food options, quick-service restaurants are constantly developing new menu items to attract consumers. Sous vide cookery has become popular for the in-home and fine dining consumer but has not been considered the first cooking option for quick service applications. Therefore, ground beef patties were manufactured to measure the influence of sous vide cooking time on the patty characteristics of moisture, color, and objective tenderness. Patties were randomly assigned a sous vide cooking time of 30, 60, or 90 min and then grilled to an internal temperature of 71.1 °C. Patties sous vide cooked for 30 min exhibited the greatest (p < 0.05) cook loss, Allo-Kramer Shear Force (AKSF) and were darker (L*) than patties sous vide cooked for 60 or 90 min. Additionally, neither internal redness, calculated spectral values of chroma, hue angle, or red-to-brown differed (p > 0.05) regardless of sous vide cooking time. Sous vide cooking duration prior to grilling the ground beef patties altered the moisture, color, and objective texture characteristics of ground beef patties.

Synovex ONE Grower improves growth performance for at least 200 days in growing beef steers and heifers fed in confinement for slaughter.

Growth-promoting implants are broadly used in the feedlot industry to improve growth performance and to increase production efficiencies. With cattle being fed longer and to heavier weights, there is demand for extended-release implants that payout for at least 200 d. Our objective was to evaluate feedlot growth of Synovex ONE Grower, a moderate potency (150 mg trenbolone acetate [TBA] and 21 mg estradiol benzoate [EB]), extended-release, growth-promoting implant for 200 d. At four locations (Texas, Idaho, California, and Nebraska), 200 steers (n = 800; d 0 body weight [BW] = 320.2 ± 9.5 kg) and 200 heifers (n = 800; d 0 BW = 311.5 ± 9.5 kg) were blocked by BW and randomized to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) Control, empty subcutaneous needle inserted and extracted from the middle third of one ear; 2) ONE Grower, 150 mg TBA and 21 mg EB extended-release implant administered in middle third of one ear. Treatments were commingled within pen of the same sex (n = 4/site; 2/sex/site) in a split plot design replicated across four sites. Cattle were fed finishing ration ad libitum common to each geographical region at least once daily and were observed for any abnormal health events twice daily. Treatments were administered on d 0. Mid-study implant site evaluations were performed on d 35 or 41. Initial BW was recorded on d 0 and final BW was recorded on d 200 to 204. Cattle were harvested from d 201 to 231; however, carcass data were not collected due to slaughter facility complications brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED and PROC GLIMMIX procedures of SAS (Version 9.4, SAS Institute, Cary, NC; P < 0.05), and animal was the experimental unit. There were no treatment × sex interactions (P ≥ 0.052) for any variable. Final BW on d 200 was greater (P < 0.01) for steers and heifers implanted with ONE Grower compared to Control; ONE Grower improved final BW by 5.7% for steers and 3.9% for heifers. Overall average daily gain (ADG) from d 0 to 200 was greater (P < 0.01) for ONE Grower steers and heifers compared to Control with an increase in ADG of 13.1% for steers and 8.9% for heifers. For cattle implanted with ONE Grower, implant retention rates at d 35 or 41 were 95.7% and 96.3% for steers and heifers, respectively. There was no difference (P ≥ 0.32) in percentage deads, removals, or bullers (steers) between treatments. Synovex ONE Grower improved final BW and ADG in feedlot steers and heifers fed for at least 200 d.

Meat Substitution with Oat Protein Can Improve Ground Beef Patty Characteristics.

The consumer acceptance of alternative plant-focused ingredients within the meat industry is growing globally. Oat protein is insoluble and used to increase product yield and fat retention. Furthermore, inclusion of oat protein can provide manufacturers another option for extending beef supplies. As the consumer diet shifts for improvements in nutritional density, oat protein is an alternative ingredient that lacks information on inclusion in a ground beef formulation. Coarse ground beef was allocated to one of four treatments, mixed with oat protein (0%, 1.5%, 3.5% and 4.5%), water, salt, pepper, textured vegetable protein, soy protein concentrate, and sodium tripolyphosphate. Meat blocks (n = 3 batches) were finely ground and formed into patties (N = 65/treatment). Patties were placed onto an expanded polystyrene tray, overwrapped with polyvinyl chloride film and displayed for 7 days. Instrumental color (L*, a*, and b*) decreased throughout simulated display (p = 0.0001). Increased usage rates of oat protein in patties resulted in greater cook yields (p = 0.0001). Objective measures of Allo-Kramer shear force values increased as oat protein inclusion rates increased (p = 0.0001). Oat protein can be incorporated in ground beef patties with positive effects on cook yield, but inclusion rate may have a deleterious impact on color and instrumental tenderness.

Characteristics of Pork Muscles Cooked to Varying End-Point Temperatures.

M. biceps femoris (BF), m. semimembranosus (SM) and m. semitendinosus (ST) from fresh pork ham were evaluated for characteristics of quality after cooking to an internal endpoint temperature of 62 °C or 73 °C. Fresh ham muscles from the left side (N = 68) were cut into 2.54 cm thick chops and allocated to cooking loss, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), pH and instrumental cooked color analysis. Cooking losses were greater (p < 0.0001) for SM and chops cooked to an internal temperature of 73 °C (p < 0.0001), whereas WBSF did not differ (p = 0.2509) among the three muscles, but was greater (p < 0.0001) in chops cooked to 73 °C. Fresh muscle's pH was greater (p < 0.05) in ST than BF or SM. Lastly, the interactive effect (p < 0.05) of muscle × endpoint temperature for ST chops cooked to 73 °C was lighter (L*), but, when cooked to 62 °C, they were more red (a*), more yellow (b*) and incurred less color change from red to brown than BF or SM. The current results suggest it is plausible for BF, SM and ST to be considered for alternative uses instead of traditional value-added manufacturing.

Influence of Plant-Based Proteins on the Fresh and Cooked Characteristics of Ground Beef Patties.

Blended meat/plant products are capturing industry market space at the retail counter for value-added beef products. Plant protein ingredients can be added to meat formulations to create appealing and functional products. Ground beef was combined with one of three plant protein inclusion treatments: control, pea, oat, or rice, along with 5% textured vegetable protein (TVP) and 1.5% soy protein concentrate then formed into 226 g patties containing up to 10% plant-based proteins. Patties were analyzed for fresh and cooked characteristics throughout a 5- or 7-day retail display. The inclusion of plant-based proteins negatively affected the instrumental tenderness values which were greater (p < 0.01) in plant-inclusion patties compared to the control patties. The inclusion of plant proteins increased (p = 0.01) the cooking yield of patties compared to the control. Cooking time was longer (p = 0.04) for oat patties compared to the control patties. Cooked color values for vegetable inclusion patties did not affect (p = 0.12) lightness (CIE L*) values; however, redness (CIE a*) was greater (p < 0.01) for rice than all other treatments and yellowness (CIE b*) values were greater (p < 0.01) for all protein treatments compared to the control. Rice improved (p < 0.01) fresh a* values on day 5 of display compared to the control; whereas pea decreased (p = 0.04) values compared to the control. There was a treatment × day interaction (p < 0.01) on lipid oxidation values with a reduction in values on day 3 for all vegetable proteins compared to the control and on day 7 lipid oxidation was reduced (p ≤ 0.03) for oat patties.

Effect of ractopamine hydrochloride on environmental gas emissions, growth performance, and carcass characteristics in feedlot steers.

With a growing global population and increased environmental concerns around animal agriculture, it is essential to humanely maximize animal performance and reduce environmental emissions. This study aims to determine the efficacy of feeding ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC), an orally active, ß 1-adrenergic agonist (ß1AA), to feedlot steers in the last 42 d of finishing to reduce ammonia (NH3) emissions and improve animal performance. A randomized complete block design was used to allocate 112 Angus and crossbred Angus steers (initial body weight [BW] = 566.0 ± 10.4 kg) to 8 cattle pen enclosures. Pens (n = 4 per treatment, 14 steers per pen, and 56 steers per treatment) were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: 1) CON; finishing ration containing no RAC, 2) RAC; finishing ration containing 27.3 g/907 kg dry matter (DM) basis RAC. Steers were weighed on day -1 and 0 before treatment and day 14, 28, and 42 during treatment. Treatment rations were mixed and delivered daily by masked personnel. Measured emissions included NH3, nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and carbon dioxide (CO2). The primary response variables assessed were emissions standardized by live weight (LW) and hot carcass weight (HCW). Steers were harvested on day 43 and carcass data were collected on day 43 and 44. Steers fed RAC reduced NH3 emissions by 17.21% from day 0 to 28 (P = 0.032) and tended to reduce NH3 from day 0 to 42 by 11.07% (P = 0.070) vs. CON. When standardized for LW, NH3 was reduced by 23.88% from day 0 to 14 (P = 0.018), 17.80% from day 0 to 28 (P = 0.006), and 12.50% for day 0 to 42 (P = 0.027) in steers fed RAC vs. CON. Steers fed RAC had 14.05% (P = 0.013) lower cumulative NH3 emissions when standardized by HCW vs. CON. Feeding RAC to Steers reduced H2S by 29.49% from day 0 to 14 (P = 0.009) and tended to reduce H2S over day 0 to 28 by 11.14% (P = 0.086) vs. CON. When H2S emissions were standardized for LW, RAC fed steers had a 28.81% reduction from day 0 to 14 (P = 0.008) vs. CON. From day 0 to 42 the RAC fed steers tended to have a 0.24 kg/d greater average daily gain (ADG) (P = 0.066) and tended to eat 4.27% less (P = 0.069) on a DM basis vs. CON. The RAC fed steers had a 19.95% greater gain to feed ratio (G:F) compared to CON (P = 0.012). Steers fed RAC had an average of 12.52 kg greater HCW (P = 0.006) and an increase of 1.93 percentage units in dressing percent (DP) (P = 0.004) vs. CON. Ractopamine is an effective medicated feed additive for reducing NH3 and improving end product performance through HCW yields.

Carcass traits and consumer acceptability of striploin steaks from band-castrated, intratesticular zinc-injected, or sexually intact beef cattle.

One hundred and eighty beef bulls (BW = 337 ± 10.9 kg) were blocked by BW (6 blocks) and assigned randomly to one of three treatments on day 0: 1) INJ; received 1 mL (100 mg Zn) of a Zn solution in each testis, 2) BAN; received blood-restrictive rubber band placed upon the dorsal aspect of the scrotum, and 3) BUL; bulls with testicles remaining intact. Cattle were grouped by weight block in a randomized complete block design (three treatment pens/block and 10 cattle/pen) and harvested by block on three separate dates when blocks reached similar BW and visual subcutaneous fat thickness depth. Striploins were removed from the left carcass sides, vacuum packaged and aged for 14 d, and then frozen at -20 °C. Frozen striploins were sliced into 2.54-cm-thick steaks and remained frozen until analyses. Steaks (n = 3/animal) were used to assess consumer acceptability via consumer taste panel (n = 152 panelists), Warner-Bratzler shear force, percentage cook loss, and cooked color values. Data were analyzed using mixed model procedures; pen was the experimental unit for all dependent variables. Hot carcass weights and LM area were greater (P < 0.01) for the INJ and BUL treatments compared with BAN. Mean yield grade did not differ between treatments (P = 0.12), although BAN carcasses had smaller LM area (P < 0.01) than BUL or INJ carcasses. Percentage of USDA Choice or better carcasses was greater (P < 0.01) for BAN than INJ and BUL treatments. Consumer panelists detected a difference in perceived tenderness; BAN steaks had greater (P = 0.02) tenderness scores than BUL steaks, whereas INJ steaks were intermediate. Panelists rated juiciness of BAN steaks greater (P < 0.01) than either BUL or INJ steaks. Panelists rated beef flavor greater (P = 0.01) for BAN and BUL steaks than INJ steaks. Overall acceptability was greater (P < 0.01) for BAN compared with INJ steaks, whereas BUL steaks were intermediate. Percentage cook loss of striploin steaks (P = 0.47) and Warner-Bratzler shear force values (P = 0.11) did not differ. Cooked color lightness (L*) and redness (a*) values were not affected (P ≥ 0.23) by treatment. Striploin steaks from BAN and BUL treatments had greater (P = 0.02) yellowness values (b*) than INJ steaks. The ratio of red-to-brown (630:580 nm) of cooked striploin steaks was greater (P = 0.05) for INJ than either BAN or BUL treatments. Carcass and palatability outcomes of INJ were more similar to BUL than BAN, suggesting limited efficacy of INJ in mature beef bulls at feedlot entry.

Zinc injection as a novel castration method in beef bulls: effects on performance, behavior, and testosterone and haptoglobin concentration.

Crossbred beef bulls (n = 180) were blocked by initial BW (337 ± 10.9 kg; six blocks) and assigned randomly to one of three treatments on day 0: 1) INJ; received 1 mL (100 mg Zn) of a Zn solution in each testis, 2) BAN; received blood- restrictive rubber band placed around the dorsal aspect of the scrotum, 3) BUL; bulls with testicles remaining intact in a randomized complete block design (three treatment pens per block and 10 cattle per pen). A subset of 54 animals (n = 3 per pen) was fitted with accelerometers on day 0 to quantify behavior variables continuously for 28 d. Testis width and scrotal circumference, and serum haptoglobin (days 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14) and testosterone concentrations (every 28 d until slaughter) were also determined for the subset. During the slaughter process, testes from INJ and BUL were collected to assess final testes weight and for histopathological evaluation. Data were analyzed using a mixed model (α = 0.05); pen served as the experimental unit for all dependent variables. Final BW was greater (P < 0.01) for INJ and BUL compared to BAN (672, 686, and 611 kg, respectively; SEM = 4.4). Overall ADG and G:F were greater (P ≤ 0.03) in INJ and BUL than BAN; whereas, DMI was similar between treatments for the study duration (P = 0.46). Histopathological evaluation (n = 13; INJ = 7; BUL = 6) indicated that INJ testes were degenerative and reproductively nonviable whereas BUL testes were normal. Serum testosterone concentrations on day 168 were similar (P = 0.14) between INJ and BUL whereas after day 14, BAN was nondetectable; however, initial serum testosterone concentrations were similarly low across treatments. Serum haptoglobin concentration was greater (P < 0.01) in INJ than BUL and BAN on days 1, 3, 5, and 7. Scrotal circumference (P = 0.08) and testis width (P = 0.07) on day 168 tended to be greater for BUL than INJ. Motion index (P ≤ 0.02) and step count (P = 0.04) was greater in BUL and INJ compared to BAN cattle during the 28 d monitoring period. No difference in standing time (P ≥ 0.85) or lying bouts (P = 0.35) occurred. Zinc injection resulted in sterilization but did not cause complete cessation of testicular function evidenced by testosterone concentrations more similar to BUL than BAN. This resulted in overall increased BW and G:F for INJ vs. BAN, yet the acute phase response was markedly greater directly after Zn injection. Collectively, Zn injection resulted in outcomes more similar to BUL than BAN, implying minimal efficacy of INJ as a castration method in older bulls arriving to the feedlot.