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Beef Carcass Length and Yields of Boneless Retail Cuts¹

Texas Agricultural Experiment Station^,3, College Station 77843

Abstract

Weight and percent of boneless retail cuts from the round, rump, loin, rib and chuck were obtained from 100 beef carcasses that were selected to vary widely in carcass length. Three carcass length groups (short = 106 to 114 cm; intermediate = 114 to 122 cm and long = 122 to 130 cm) were identified. Carcass length was not significantly related to percent boneless retail cuts. Differences in the weight of boneless retail cuts between short, intermediate length and long carcasses were not significant when carcass weight was held constant. When fat thickness and conformation were simultaneously held constant, long carcasses were heavier in weight and, correspondingly, yielded higher (P < .05) weights of boneless retail cuts than short carcasses. Long and intermediate length carcasses had higher percents of boneless loin and total boneless retail cuts than short carcasses when carcass weight was held constant. When fat thickness and conformation were held constant, short and intermediate length carcasses had higher percents of boneless loin than long carcasses; and short carcasses had higher percents of boneless round than intermediate length and long carcasses. Carcass length was of very limited value in regression equations designed to predict either percent or weight of boneless retail cuts. It is possible that, among cattle of equivalent fatness and conformation, short carcasses have an advantage over long carcasses in proportionate yields of cuts from the hindquarter. However, these data suggest that selection for longer-bodied cattle will have little effect on the ultimate retail yield of beef carcasses.

¹ T. A. 10377, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.

² A portion of the data reported here was collected while the senior author was in residence at Washington State University, Pullman. Present address: Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.

³ Meats and Meat Chemistry Section, Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University.