Consumer Feedback Makes the Difference
Historically, international beef grading systems have focused only on a production bias with no accountability or input from consumers. This approach can lead to inconsistent eating experiences. The consumer feedback collected through the EQA program is fundamental to the MSA model used to grade individual cuts. The model takes into account factors along the production chain that impact the eating quality of beef, including post-processing factors, aging and cooking methods (see Figure 5).
Figure 6 demonstrates the impact of aging on the meat quality score (MQ4), and Figure 7 demonstrates the impact of cooking method. Figure 8 provides a summary of various grading programs around the world.
By incorporating a larger number of variables that impact eating quality (see Figure 8), the MSA model isable to accurately predict the eating quality of an individual cut for a specific cooking method.
