• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.385-391
• /
• 2022

Quality evaluation of beef carcasses is an important issue in the livestock industry. Recently, through the AI monitor system based on artificial intelligence, the quality manager can receive help in making accurate decisions based on the analysis of beef carcass images or result information. This artificial intelligence dataset is an important factor in judging performance. Existing datasets may have different surface orientation or resolution. In this paper, we proposed a two-stage classification model that can efficiently manage the grades of beef carcass image using deep learning. And to overcome the problem of the various conditions of the image, a new dataset of 1,300 images was constructed. The recognition rate of deep network for 5-grade classification using the new dataset was 72.5%. Two-stage evaluation is a method to increase reliability by taking advantage of the large difference between grades 1++, 1+, and grades 1 and 2 and 3. With two experiments using the proposed two stage model, the recognition rates of 73.7% and 77.2% were obtained. As this, The proposed method will be an efficient method if we have a dataset with 100% recognition rate in the first stage.

• Food Quality and Culture
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.55-60
• /
• 2008

This study examined the effects of lactic acid spray, hot water spray, or their combined treatment, as well as the effects of acidified sodium chlorite (ASC), for the decontamination of Escherichia coli on beef carcass surfaces using a commercial intervention system. With this system, the effects of 2 or 4% lactic acid (v/v), hot water ($89{\pm}1^{\circ}C$), or their combined treatment, were examined in terms of reducing inoculated E. coli. ASC (266 ppm), which was adjusted to pH 2.5 using acetic acid or citric acid, was applied using a hand-held spray system. When the beef carcasses were treated with 2 or 4% lactic acid for 10.4 s, less than 1 log reductions of inoculated E. coli were observed. A hot water spray treatment for 9.8 s resulted in a 2.1 log reduction of inoculated E. coli. However, when the hot water was followed with either 2 or 4% lactic acid, no difference in E. coli reduction was found between the hot water alone or the combined treatment with lactic acid. When ASC was adjusted to pH 2.5 with acetic acid and citric acid, 3.8 and 4.1 log reductions of E. coli were observed, respectively. Overall, the lactic acid spray treatment was least effective, and the ASC treatment was most effective, for the E. coli decontamination of beef carcasses. Therefore, these data suggest that ASC would be a more effective intervention against E. coli than most of the methods currently being used. However, more research is required to evaluate the effects of ASC on other organisms, as well as to identify application methods that will not affect meat quality.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.390-395
• /
• 2002

Two experiments were conducted to study the performance and carcass characteristics of Hanwoo (Korean native beef cattle) steers (Experiment 1) and the nutrient digestibility of sheep (Experiment 2) when the animals fed diets containing four levels of dried wormwood (Artemisia sp.). For both experiments the animals were given a basal diet consisting of rice straw and concentrate mixed at 3:7 ratio (on DM basis). In Experiment 1, the treatments were designed as a completely randomized design with two feeding periods. Steers were allotted in one of four dietary treatments, which were designed to progressively substitute dried wormwood for 0, 3, 5 and 10% of the rice straw in the basal diet. Bodyweight gain and average daily gain (ADG) of Hanwoo steers fed diets containing the 5 and 10% wormwood inclusion were greater (p<0.05) than the 3% wormwood-feeding group. Total and daily intakes of roughage and concentrate were not altered by all levels of dried wormwood inclusion. However, the 10% dried wormwood inclusion led to increased total feed intake (p<0.05) compared with that of the 0 and 3% of dried wormwood inclusion. Carcass weight, carcass yield and backfat thickness were not altered by dried wormwood inclusion. The highest level of dried wormwood inclusion resulted in significantly increased (p<0.05) loin-eye area compared with the 0 and 5% levels of dried wormwood inclusion. Experiment 2 was designed by a $4{\times}4$ Latin square with four periods. Sheep were allocated in one of four dietary treatments as same as in Experiment 1. Digestibilities of DM and TDN were significantly increased (p<0.05) in sheep fed the diet containing all three levels of dried wormwood inclusion compared with the control treatment. Digestibilities of CP and crude fiber in the 5% dried wormwood inclusion highly increased (p<0.05) up to 8.2 and 5.5% respectively relative to the control treatment. The palatability was significantly improved (p<0.05) by the 5% dried wormwood inclusion compared with the control treatment. It is concluded that feeding diets containing dried wormwood substituted for equal weights of rice straw at 5 and 10% levels would be anticipated to provide better quality roughage for beef cattle production and higher income for beef cattle producers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.549-554
• /
• 2002

An experiment was conducted to examine the performance and carcass characteristics of Hanwoo (Korean native beef cattle) heifers and the fatty acid composition of muscle tissues of the heifers when the animals fed diets containing four levels of dried wormwood (Artemisia sp.). For the experiment the animals were given a basal diet consisting of rice straw and concentrate mixed at 3:7 ratio (on DM basis). The treatments were designed as a completely randomized design with two feeding periods. Heifers were allotted in one of four dietary treatments, which were designed to progressively substitute dried wormwood for 0, 3, 5 and 10% of the rice straw in the basal diet. There was no difference in body weight gain throughout the entire period between the treatment groups. Feed conversion rate was improved (p<0.05) only by the 3% dried wormwood inclusion treatment compared with the basal treatment. Carcass weight, carcass yield and backfat thickness of all treatment groups were not altered by wormwood inclusion. The 5% dried wormwood inclusion significantly increased (p<0.05) the size of loin-eye area over the other treatments. The higher levels (5 and 10%) of dried wormwood inclusion resulted in the higher (p<0.05) water holding capacity (WHC) in loin than the lower levels (0 and 3%) of wormwood inclusion. The redness ($a^*$) and yellowness ($b^*$) values of meat color were significantly lower (p<0.05) in the top round muscle of heifers fed the diet containing 3% dried wormwood. There was a profound effect of the progressively increased intake of dried wormwood led to the linear increase of unsaturated fatty acid content and the linear decrease of saturated fatty acid content in the muscle tissues of Hanwoo heifers. It is concluded that the feeding diets containing dried wormwood substituted for equal weights of rice straw at 5% levels would be anticipated to provide better quality roughage for beef heifer production and economical benefits for beef cattle producers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.23 no.10
• /
• pp.1308-1318
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of replacing soybean meal with treated castor meal with (CMT) or without lime (CMNT) on the nutrient intake, performance, carcass characteristics, and yield of commercial cuts of beef cattle from a feedlot. Thirty male, castrated, crossbreed zebu cattle were used in the study, with an average initial weight of $360{\pm}30.27\;kg$. Five animals were used as a control group and were slaughtered at the beginning of the experiment; the remaining animals (n = 25) were distributed in random blocks (repetitions), with body weight as the criterion for block assignment. The animals were fed a diet containing 65% corn silage and 35% of concentrate on dry matter (DM) basis. Five diets consisted of four levels of soybean meal (SM) substituted with CMT (0, 33, 67 and 100%) on a DM basis and a diet with 100% of SM replaced with CMNT. At the end of the experiment, all animals were slaughtered, and their gastrointestinal tracts were emptied to determine their empty body weights (EBW). No significant effects were observed (p>0.05) for the substitution of soybean meal with CMT on intake of dietary nutrients, the average daily body weight gain (ADG) or EBW gain (EBWG). In spite of greater (p<0.05) ricin intake for the diet containing CMNT (3.06 mg/kg BW) compared to the CMT diet (0.10 mg/kg BW/d), there were no effects (p>0.05) on intake of dietary nutrients, ADG or EBWG. The average intake of DM and the ADG were 10,664.63 and 1,353.04 g/d, respectively. Regarding carcass characteristics, only carcass yield in relation to body weight was linearly reduced (p<0.05) upon substitution of SM by CMT. There was no effect (p>0.05) of the substitution of SM by CMT or CMNT on the yield of carcass basic cuts. CMT prices that are higher than 85% of the SM price do not economically justify the use of CMT. For CMT prices between 20 and 80% of the SM price, the optimal level was 67% substitution, while for prices below 15% of the SM price, the optimal level was 100% substitution with CMT. It can be concluded that treated castor meal with 6% lime can totally replace soybean meal in beef cattle diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.640-647
• /
• 2008

Breed differences in adult animals are determined during fetal development. If interventions are to be developed that influence growth of muscle and fat, it is important to know at which time during gestation breed differences appear and are fixed. The objective of this study was to characterize fetal development in cattle of different breeds. Pregnant cows of 4 cattle breeds with different growth impetus and muscularity were slaughtered under normal processing conditions and the fetuses were removed. German Angus, a typical beef cattle; Galloway, a smaller, environmentally resistant beef type; Holstein Friesian, a dairy type; and Belgian Blue, an extreme type for muscle growth were used. Fetuses of each breed were investigated at 3, 6, and 9 mo of gestation. Fetuses were weighed and dissected into carcass, organs, and muscles. Body fat weight was obtained using the Soxhlet extraction method. Fetal weight increased most rapidly in the third trimester of gestation mainly due to the accelerated muscle and fat deposition. The organ weight to body weight (BW) ratios decreased and the muscle and fat weight to BW ratios increased. At 3 mo of gestation, Galloway fetuses had the significantly smallest BW, half-carcass weight, leg weight, organ weight, muscle weight and shortest leg length. In contrast, Holstein fetuses had the significantly greatest BW, liver, kidney, and lung weights and significantly longest leg length among the 4 breeds, but no differences between Holstein Friesian and Belgian Blue were detected in half-carcass and leg weight. Indeed, Belgian Blue fetuses had the significantly greatest half-carcass weight, leg weight, and muscle weight at 9 mo of gestation, and Galloway had a significantly greater body fat to BW ratio than Holstein Friesian and Belgian Blue. These differences were not evident at 3 and 6 mo of gestation. These data show that the profound increase of tissue and organ weights occurred in later gestation in cattle fetuses even though breed differences were evident as early as 3 mo of gestation. Depending on the tissue of interest, impacting fetal growth likely needs to occur early in gestation before the appearance of breed-specific differences.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.6
• /
• pp.499-504
• /
• 2010

This study was conducted to determine the effects of ruminally protected amino acid-enriched fatty acids (RPAAFA) on body weight gain, feed intake and carcass characteristics of fattening Hanwoo cows. Twenty eight Hanwoo cows, $6.0{\pm}1.7$ years old and weighing an average of $463.2{\pm}77.6\;kg$, were used for 4 months. Animals were fed a basal diet supplemented with RPAAFA at 0 g (control) and 100 g (treatment), respectively. Average daily gain, dry matter intake and feed conversion ratio were not different among the control and treatment. The supplementation of RPAAFA did not affect carcass weight and rib eye areas. Quality grade score ($1^{++}$, $1^+$ and 1) for treatment was higher in RPAAFA supplemented group compared with the control, whereas no differences appeared in meat color, fat color, texture and maturity. Thus present results indicate that supplementation of RPAAFA may be recommended for producing high quality beef from fattening Hanwoo cows.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.63 no.2
• /
• pp.426-439
• /
• 2021

It is already well known that castration improves marbling quality but exact timing of castration is still highly debated in beef cattle production industry. After castration, blood hormonal changes occur in steer and objective of this study was to investigate the effects of growth hormone (GH) levels on adipocyte differentiation in stromal vascular cells (SVCs) and transdifferentiation into adipocytes in C2C12 myoblasts. Total GH concentrations were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 24 male calves and 4 female calves. Cell proliferation, cellular triglyceride (TG) accumulation, and the cell's lipolytic capability were measured in C2C12 myoblasts and SVCs. Myogenic, adipogenic, and brown adipocyte-specific gene expression was measured via real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using SYBR green. Serum GH levels were the highest in late-castrated calves. Treatment with 5 ng/mL GH resulted in greater TG accumulation as well as increased CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP)α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ expression compared to that after treatment with 15 ng/mL GH. Treatment with 5 ng/mL GH also resulted in lower myogenin (myo)G and myoD expression compared to that after treatment with 15 ng/mL GH. The expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 7 after treatment with 5 ng/mL GH was higher than that after treatment with 15 ng/mL GH. But carcass characteristics data showed no significant difference between early and late castrated steers. Therefore, our results indicate that castration timing does not seem to be inevitable determinate of carcass qualities, particularly carcass weight and marbling score in Hanwoo beef cattle.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.9
• /
• pp.1241-1245
• /
• 2004

Two separate trials were conducted to determine effects of dietary level of whole flaxseed (WFS; 0, 10 and 15%) on feed intake, weight gain, and carcass yield and quality of Korean Hanwoo cattle. The daily gains of bulls (Trial 1) were not different among treatment groups, but those of cows (Trial 2) fed WFS 15% were higher (p<0.01) than others. Feed intake of both bulls and cows tended to decrease as dietary level of WFS increased. However, feed conversion ratio (feed/gain) of bulls tended to be improved by dietary inclusion of WFS and was significantly improved (p<0.01) in cows by increasing level of WFS. Neither carcass weight nor dressing percentage were affected by WFS level. Back fat thickness of bulls was decreased (p<0.01) by dietary inclusion of WFS and the same trend was observed in cows without statistical significance. Loin-eye area of bulls was not different among treatment groups but was significantly higher (p<0.01) in cows fed WFS. Carcass yield and quality were not improved by WFS addition. The results indicate that WFS is an acceptable fat source in diets of finishing beef cattle to increase energy density without any adverse effects.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.723-743
• /
• 2022

Beef muscles from mature cows and bulls, especially those originating from the extremities of the carcass, are considered as underutilized due to unsatisfactory palatability. However, beef from culled animals comprises a substantial proportion of the total slaughter in the US and globally. Modern consumers typically favor cuts suitable for fast, dry-heat cookery, thereby creating challenges for the industry to market inherently tough muscles. In general, cull cow beef would be categorized as having a lower extent of postmortem proteolysis compared to youthful carcasses, coupled with a high amount of background toughness. The extent of cross-linking and resulting insolubility of intramuscular connective tissues typically serves as the limiting factor for tenderness development of mature beef. Thus, numerous post-harvest strategies have been developed to improve the quality and palatability attributes, often aimed at overcoming deficiencies in tenderness through enhancing the degradation of myofibrillar and stromal proteins or physically disrupting the tissue structure. The aim of this review is to highlight existing and recent innovations in the field that have been demonstrated as effective to enhance the tenderness and palatability traits of mature beef during the chilling and postmortem aging processes, as well as the use of physical interventions and enhancement.