Beef Marbling Usda

Prime beef is produced from young well fed beef cattle.

Beef marbling usda.

Graders evaluate the amount and distribution of marbling in the ribeye muscle at the cut surface after the carcass has been ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs. Quality grades of carcass beef bullock prime. These factors include carcass maturity firmness texture and color of lean and the amount and distribution of marbling within the lean. You ll see prime choice and select at your local supermarkets and you can more or less call those marbling scores.

Steaks from an animal raised on grain will have more marbling than beef from a grass fed cow see the usda scale below. Usda select has only slight marbling. Beef that is given a higher grade is usually from younger cattle and has more fat marbling. Marbling intramuscular fat is the intermingling or dispersion of fat within the lean.

For the prime grade the minimum degree of marbling required is a minimum slightly abundant amount for carcasses throughout the range of maturity permitted in the bullock class. Usda prime beef has the highest marbling score or fat content followed by usda choice. The amount of marbling in the meat is dependent on the cow s diet. The breed of cattle can play a role as well but diet and handling are the two major factors.

Anything graded below those three is not generally sold at the supermarket and may be used in ground beef. Beef carcass quality grading is based on 1 degree of marbling and 2 degree of maturity. Quality grades are widely used as a language within the beef industry making business transactions easier and providing a vital link to support rural america. The beef grading system developed by the united states department of agriculture is a voluntary grading system based on the meat s maturity and level of fat marbling these two factors are indicators of the beef s tenderness.

The usda grade shields are highly regarded as symbols of high quality american beef. It has slightly abundant.