Our Senepol Beef

Senepol Meat Is More Tender Than Many Other Breeds

In our last article we identified that pasture-fed beef is more nutritious than grain-fed beef. All of Elliott Park’s relaxed, pure Senepol bred cattle are pasture-fed in a stress-free environment. Pasture-fed beef contains more antioxidants, carotenoid, Vitamin E, Omega 3 and CLA, and has less calories gram for gram, than grain-fed beef. These nutritional differences can provide health benefits to those who choose nutritional, tasty pasture-fed beef products.

In this article we would like to go a step further and explain, in addition to pasture-fed beef being more nutritious, that our tasty Senepol beef is also more tender than many other breeds.

A study in the DNA for the tenderness gene shows that Senepol beef has superior tenderness compared with Brahman crosses and continental beef breeds, with a further study concluding that the inclusion of the Senepol breed in a mix-breed cattle breeding program could be an effective strategy for improving beef tenderness in cattle.

In two separate studies, two years apart from each other, which looked at the tenderness profiles of different muscles from different types of cattle, one being the Senepol breed, meat was cooked as steaks and roasts. The Senepol sirloin, top shoulder, cut of meat from the shoulder, and top steak or round steak cooked as steaks and roasts were more tender than the other tested breeds. The Senepol brisket and eye of round steak cooked as roasts were also more tender as were the top blade and loin eye.

Another study was designed to evaluate the relationship between marbling score and breed-type on the palatability of cooked beef. Marbling refers to the white flecks of fat within a piece of meat. Marbling adds flavour and can be one indicator of how good the beef is. One of the breed types assessed was Senepol. One thousand six hundred and sixty-seven cattle were involved in the study, which had been managed and fed alike. The tenderness rating indicated that Senepol beef was more tender, regardless of marbling score. The researchers concluded that the Senepol beef was juicier and the tasty flavour intensity was not diminished.

So, there you have it. The results are in. Independent studies, spanning 18 years are clear. Senepol meat is more tender than many other breeds. Whether you like your steak rare, medium, or well-done, Elliot Park’s pasture-fed tender Senepol meat is just the best to eat.

References

• Author(s) unknown, Nd. Genetic Effects on Tenderness in Heat Tolerant Composite Cattle Breeds
• S F O’Connor 1, J D Tatum, D M Wulf, R D Green, G C Smith, 1997. Genetic effects on beef tenderness in Bos indicus composite and Bos taurus cattle. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9222838/
• C M Highfill 1, O Esquivel-Font, M E Dikeman, D H Kropf, 2012. Tenderness profiles of ten muscles from F1 Bos indicus x Bos taurus and Bos taurus cattle cooked as steaks and roasts. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22166845/
• S D Shackelford 1, T L Wheeler, M Koohmaraie, 1995. Relationship between shear force and trained sensory panel tenderness ratings of 10 major muscles from Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8586592/
• T L Wheeler 1, L V Cundiff, R M Koch, 1994. Effect of marbling degree on beef palatability in Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7759364/

Posted on November 26, 2020