November 6, 2000

The final report on a checkoff funded "muscle profiling" study that should increase the value of beef from the chuck and round was presented recently to more than 100 major U.S. beef industry end-users and suppliers in Lincoln, NE. Coordinated by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association for the Cattlemen's Beef Board, the study helps "open the door to new, higher-value marketing opportunities for the chuck and the round," officials say.

Research findings from the study will benefit all segments of the beef industry and ultimately provide consumers with new choices at the meat counter and in restaurants, according to Bucky Gwartney, director of research and technical services for NCBA. "This new research identifies key muscle characteristics we need to explore if we're going to find new, convenient ways of preparing cuts," he says.

The study describes and catalogues the characteristics of 39 chuck and round muscles. Among the traits measured were fat content, color, pH, water-holding capacity, connective tissue content, bind capacity and tenderness. The research was necessary to increase the value of cuts from the chuck and round. Although these primals represent about two-thirds of the carcass by volume, they represent less than half the carcass by value.

Time-consuming, traditional ways of cooking cuts from the chuck and round, such as pot roast, have lost favor among consumers. Partly as a result, consumer demand was shrinking during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1999, however, beef demand started to increase again. That trend has continued into 2000. Profiling of the chuck and round will accelerate that growth even further as new, consumer-friendly choices enter the market.

The muscle profiling study was conducted through a collaborative effort by the University of Florida, the University of Nebraska and NCBA's Center for Research and Technical Services. At the presentation, retailers and suppliers reviewed its findings and explored how to adapt those findings to fit their needs. A detailed manual presented to participants identified each muscle by location, summarized its characteristics. The information will also be available in CD-ROM format by the first of next year.