THE GENETIC EFFECT OF F1 WAGYU-BLACK ANGUS STEERS ON LONGISSIMUS DORSI MUSCLE IRON CONCENTRATION

摘要

Meat colour is a primary factor used by Japanese consumers to determine meat quality. They rate meat colour as the most important consideration in their decision to purchase, followed by fat colour, marbling, price and drip loss. Australian beef is characterised by a deeper red colour compared to Japanese beef, which has a significantly paler appearance. Meat colour is derived from the meat pigment, myoglobin, and the iron-dependent heme. Previous research has shown a significant negative correlation(r~2=0.79) between muscle iron content and meat colour lightness (Zembatashi et al. 1999). The objective of this research was to determine whether genetic differences of F1 Wagyu-Black Angus steers influenced Longissimus dorsi iron concentrations afterhousing in a feedlot for a long period.