An official website of the United States government.
<OL> <LI> Enhance palatability, processing, and marketing of beef by studying instrument grading, beef flavor and tenderness technologies, and carcass cutting strategies. <LI> Develop science-rooted strategies and technologies to reduce foodborne illness and improve the effectiveness of policies related to food safety and trade. </ol>
Expected Outputs: <BR> Palatability Output 1: Provide beef production suggestions for aligning beef quality and attributes to consumer preferences for meat attributes. <BR><BR>Palatability Output 2: New technologies will be used for assessment of beef carcass tenderness <BR><BR>Palatability Output 3: The source and identification of off-flavor compounds will be determined. Strategies to manage off-flavors in beef will be examined. <BR><BR>Palatability Output 4: Beef enhancement technologies will be developed and evaluated. <BR><BR>Palatability Output 5: New cutting strategies will be developed and shared with the meat industry. <BR><BR>Food Safety Output 6: New or modified interventions to enhance the safety of beef. <BR><BR>Food Safety Output 7: A comprehensive understanding of the ecology and transmission dynamics of foodborne pathogens throughout the human food chain. Food Safety Output 8: Identification of the underlying genetic mechanisms responsible for observed differences in virulence phenotypes.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This comprehensive research focuses on beef palatability and food safety, which are two important factors in increasing the demand for beef in the United States and internationally. Beef palatability work will involve tenderness and flavor enhancement as well as trained and consumer sensory evaluations of beef produced under different production systems. Food safety work will center on developing pathogen interventions as part of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.<P>
Outcomes: <BR> Palatability, processing, and marketing of beef: <BR>Outcome 1: More desirable eating experiences will ensure greater customer satisfaction and demand for U.S. beef. <BR><BR>Outcome 2: Improve the marketing of beef through development of automated grading systems. <BR><BR>Outcome 3: Innovative cutting methods will improve processing efficiency in the meat industry. <BR><BR>Outcome 4: Provide accurate information on the types of technology and it s application to size of operation and types of value-added certifications. Food-borne illness: <BR><BR>Outcome 5: Reduce the risk of foodborne illness achieved through better understanding of the transmission and pathogenesis of pathogens as well as a reduction of pathogen exposure from beef. <P>
APPROACH: Objective 1, Beef Palatability: Research will be conducted to determine the efficacy of different instrument grading methodologies by using both trained and consumer sensory panels to evaluate flavor, juiciness, and tenderness of beef evaluated by such systems. Populations of cattle will include both known and unknown genetic sources. Various beef flavor and tenderness enhancements will be evaluated for their effectiveness using both trained and consumer sensory panels. Different carcass and subprimal cutting strategies will be developed and tested using trained and experience meat cutters to determine how best to market beef carcasses and cuts, especially from heavyweight carcasses. <P>Objective 2, Food Safety: Various pathogen interventions to treat carcasses, subprimal cuts, retail cuts, and beef trimmings will be evaluated for efficacy. Environmental sources of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella will be evaluated to see how these organisms enter the food chain.