Meat Quality And Nutrition

Many consumers know that beef is a valuable source of dietary iron, zinc, and protein, and understand the benefits of these nutrients in their diet. Yet a growing number of consumers are concerned about the amount of fat and cholesterol that is often associated with meat products. While consumers demand quality beef that is tender and flavorful, they also want a product that is lean with less fat, cholesterol, and calories.

Not only does Piedmontese beef provide a product that is lower in fat, cholesterol, and calories than conventional beef, while providing the tenderness and flavor that consumers desire, but it also benefits the producer. Quite simply, cattlemen receive the benefit of more meat per carcass, as a result of less waste from fat and bone.

Another benefit of Piedmontese beef is reduced cooking time. In fact, when using Piedmontese beef, cooking time is reduced by about half. The cooking rate for Piedmontese is 9.2 grams per minute compared to 8.3 grams per minute for Hereford-Angus. Applying those cooking rates to a 12-ounce rib-eye steak for each breed, the Piedmontese steak would take approximately 5 minutes less to achieve a medium degree of doneness.

Research conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the MARC Center compared eleven breeds of cattle. The results of these studies confirm that not only is Piedmontese beef genetically lower in fat than other breeds, it had the lowest fat thickness, .29-inches, and the greatest tenderness, 11.0 pounds on the Warner Bratzler Shear Force test, of all the breeds in the study. Results also showed that the average Piedmontese steak was almost 70 grams heavier than the Hereford-Angus cross steak (357.1 grams compared to 288.3 grams) which is expected due to larger rib-eye areas on Piedmontese.

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