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The National Beef Quality Audit ( NBQA )-2022 serves as a benchmark of the current market cow and bull sectors of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. From September 2021 through May 2022, post-slaughter hide-on animals ( n  = 6,674), carcasses ( n  = 5,746), and offal items (heads and tongues: n  = 7,282; lungs and hearts: n  = 6,708; viscera, kidneys, and livers: n  = 6,358) were surveyed at 20 commercial beef processing facilities across the United States. There were 37.8% of cattle with no visible mud contamination. Native (unbranded) hides were observed in 88.3% of cattle. Carcass bruising was observed on 66.7% of cow carcasses and 46.4% of bull carcasses, similar to percentages observed in the 2007 and 2016 audits. Nearly all cattle were free of knots (98.2%) or injection-site lesions (97.1%). Harvest-floor assessments found that 45.0% of livers, 22.2% of viscera, 19.3% of kidneys, 46.6% of lungs, 19.9% of hearts, 11.2% of heads, and 6.4% of tongues were condemned. The leading cause of condemnation for these offal items was contamination, aside from livers with the majority resulting in condemnation from the presence of an abscess. Of the cows surveyed, 25.4% carried a fetus, an 8% increase compared to those observed in 2016, and a 14.8% increase compared to cows surveyed in 2007. Findings from the NBQA-2022 identified areas of improvement and areas that required continued research and producer education to improve market cow and bull welfare, by-product quality, and offal value., Competing Interests: There are no known conflicts of interest by any of the authors., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

Background : Limited knowledge is currently available on the effects of modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) on the metabolite profiles of cooked beef. The objective was to evaluate the impact of packaging on the cooked color and cooked metabolite profile of normal-pH (normal bright-red color) and atypical-dark-cutting beef (inherently slightly dark-colored) longissimus lumborum muscle. Methods : Normal-pH (pH 5.56) and atypical dark-cutting (pH 5.63) loins ( n = 6) were procured from a commercial meat processor. Steaks were randomly assigned to one of three different packaging methods: vacuum packaging, carbon monoxide (CO-MAP), and high oxygen (HiOx-MAP). Following 5 d of retail display, steaks were cooked to 71 °C on a clamshell-style grill, and samples were collected for untargeted metabolites using gas-chromatography mass spectrometry. Results : Raw atypical dark-cutting steaks were less red ( p < 0.05) than raw normal-pH steaks. However, there were no differences in internal cooked color between normal-pH and atypical dark-cutting steaks. Steaks packaged in HiOx-MAP steaks had a lower ( p < 0.05) cooked redness than vacuum and CO-MAP steaks. A total of 129 metabolite features were identified in the study. Serine and tryptophan were over-abundant in cooked atypical dark-cutting beef compared to raw atypical samples. Citric acid levels were greater in HiOx-MAP packaged beef compared with VP both in normal and atypical dark-cutting beef after cooking, while no differentially abundant metabolites were shared between vacuum and CO-MAP steaks after cooking. Discussion : A slight increase in pH did not influence metabolite profiles in different packaging. However, there were packaging effects within normal and atypical dark-cutting beef. Conclusions : This study suggests that packaging conditions change metabolite profiles, which can influence cooked metabolites. Therefore, the metabolomics approach can be used to better understand cooked color defects such as premature browning.

Limited studies have determined the effects of modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) on atypical dark-cutting beef surface color. The objective was to compare the impacts of using vacuum packaging, carbon monoxide (CO-MAP), and HiOx-MAP (high‑oxygen) on the retail color of normal-pH and atypical dark-cutting beef aged 14 d. Atypical dark-cutting beef (pH 5.63) had numerically greater (P > 0.05) pH than normal-pH beef (pH 5.56). Atypical dark-cutting steaks were darker in color (lower L* values; P < 0.05) than normal-pH steaks. Atypical dark-cutting steaks had greater (P < 0.05) oxygen consumption, lower (P < 0.05) relative oxygenation, and less inter-muscle bundle space (P < 0.05) than normal-pH steaks. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in redness between normal-pH and atypical dark-cutting steaks when packaged in HiOx-MAP. Although a minimal increase in pH was observed in atypical dark-cutting beef, steaks in CO-MAP had lower redness than normal-pH steaks., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The National Beef Quality Audit - 2022 serves as a benchmark of the current fed steer and heifer population of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. In-plant cooler assessments and collections of beef carcass data took place from July 2021 to November 2022. During in-plant evaluations, 10% of 1-d production was surveyed for quality and yield indicating characteristics of fed beef carcasses ( n =  9,746 beef carcasses). Distributions of sex classes among sampled carcasses were steer (65.0%) and heifer (35.0%), whereas distributions of breed type were native (87.7%), dairy (11.3%), and Bos indicus (0.9%). Mean values were observed for USDA Yield Grades ( YG ; 3.3), USDA Quality Grade ( QG ; Choice 16 ), marbling score (Small 98 ), ribeye area (91.0 cm 2 ), adjusted fat thickness (1.49 cm), hot carcass weight (401.9 kg), and KPH (2.5%). Mean overall maturity was A 66 , with a mean lean maturity of A 56 and mean skeletal maturity of A 72 . There were 28.1% of carcasses identified for use in a USDA-certified beef G-Schedule Program. Defects, such as dark cutting and blood splash, were observed at 1.8% and 0.5%, respectively. Distributions of USDA YG were YG 1 (8.2%), YG 2 (30.7%), YG 3 (40.2%), YG 4 (16.6%), and YG 5 (4.3%). USDA QGs were observed at 7.5% Prime, 69.2% Choice, 16.4% Select, and 6.8% other. The results of this study provide an updated look at the current grading trends of beef carcasses in the United States to drive progress in the fed beef industry., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA)-2022 serves as a benchmark of the current market cow and bull sectors of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. From September 2021 through May 2022, livestock trailers ( n  = 125), live animals ( n  = 5,430), and post-slaughter hide-on animals ( n  = 6,674) were surveyed at 20 commercial beef processing facilities across the U.S. Cattle were transported in a variety of trailer types for an average distance of 490.6 km and a mean transport time of 6.3 h. During transit, cattle averaged 2.3 m 2 of trailer space per animal indicating sufficient space was provided according to industry guidelines. Of all trailers surveyed, 55.3% transported cattle from an auction barn to a processing facility. When surveyed, 63.6% of all truck drivers reported to be Beef Quality Assurance certified. The majority (77.0%) of cattle were sound when evaluated for mobility. Mean body condition scores (9-point scale) for beef cows and bulls were 3.8 and 4.4, respectively, whereas mean body condition scores (5-point scale) for dairy cows and bulls were 2.3 and 2.6, respectively. Of the cattle surveyed, 45.1% had no visible live animal defects, and 37.9% had only a single defect. Of defects present in cows, 64.6% were attributed to an udder problem. Full udders were observed in 47.5% of all cows. Nearly all cattle were free of visible abscesses and knots (97.9% and 98.2%, respectively). No horns were observed in 89.4% of all cattle surveyed. Beef cattle were predominantly black-hided (68.9% and 67.4% of cows and bulls, respectively). Holstein was the predominant dairy animal observed and accounted for 85.7% of the cows and 98.0% of the bulls. Only 3.1% of all animals had no form of identification. Findings from the NBQA-2022 show improvements within the industry and identify areas that require continued education and research to improve market cow and bull welfare and beef quality., Competing Interests: There are no known conflicts of interest by any of the authors., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)