Carcass Beef
The age of the animal and the apparent sex designation when the animal is slaughtered determines the class of the beef carcass.
The five beef carcass classes are:
Steer
Bullock
Bull
Heifer
Cow
The quality and yield grades for carcass beef are the same as those for live slaughter cattle. The amount of marbling in the carcass affects the quality grade of the carcass.
Marbling refers to the presence and distribution of fat and lean in a cut of meat.
The yield grade of a beef carcass is influenced by carcass weight, rib eye area, thickness of fat over rib eye area and the amount of kidney, pelvic and heart fat.
A preliminary yield grade for a warm beef carcass is determined by the thickness of fat over the rib eye.
Each 0.25 cm of fat thickness changes the yield grade by 0.25 of a yield grade. An adjustment is then made for rib eye area and percent of kidney, pelvic, and heart fat to determine the final yield grade.
An increase in the amount of these fats decreases the percent of retail cuts from the carcass. Each change of 1 percent of the carcass weight attributed to these fats causes a 0.2 change in the yield grade.
The higher grades of slaughter beef are usually grain-fed animals that have a high yield of lean cuts with the right amount of marbling.
These animals bring higher prices in the market.
Carcass Beef
