Do distillers grains affect beef quality?
12/21/2006, 9:18 AM CST
Recently, Certified Angus Beef commissioned a white paper to evaluate factors affecting beef quality. This study was conducted to review factors that may be involved in a recent decline nationally in beef quality grades.
A number of factors were identified including cattle health, feedlot size, steam flaking of corn and implant programs.
Increased use of corn co-product feeds were mentioned also. An analysis of experiments using distillers grains showed that feeding greater than 30% decreased marbling by about one-third of a marbling score. While the magnitude of the marbling effect of distillers grains feeding on marbling was small, this review set off a fire storm of re-analysis of existing data on the effect of distillers grains on marbling.
Most experiments conducted to date with distillers feeds were designed to measure the nutritional value of the product. So cattle were fed to constant days on feed rather than a constant endpoint. The result is that few individual experiments show negative carcass effects.
To get at the bottom of this issue requires analysis of multiple experiments or studies designed to evaluate carcass effects. Recently, Dr. Allen Trenkle of Iowa State University summarized four ISU studies where cattle were fed up to 40% distillers grains. There was some reduction in marbling at the high levels, but the net value of the carcasses in a typical grid market was not greatly different.
Taste panel analysis of tenderness, juiciness and flavor was not changed. Interestingly, corn gluten feed did not change marbling scores when fed up to 90% of the ration, suggesting that perhaps the fat content of the distillers grains may be the culprit in the marbling effect.
In another recent analysis, results indicated a decline in marbling with distillers grains feeding but not until the level reached approximately 50% of the ration dry matter. No effect on marbling was found when studies where wet distillers grains were fed.
The bottom line: Distillers grains may decrease marbling at very high levels. However, the effect is not large enough to cause great decreases in carcass value. Efforts to decrease the fat content of distillers grains may actually help reduce this effect.
12/21/2006, 9:18 AM CST
Recently, Certified Angus Beef commissioned a white paper to evaluate factors affecting beef quality. This study was conducted to review factors that may be involved in a recent decline nationally in beef quality grades.
A number of factors were identified including cattle health, feedlot size, steam flaking of corn and implant programs.
Increased use of corn co-product feeds were mentioned also. An analysis of experiments using distillers grains showed that feeding greater than 30% decreased marbling by about one-third of a marbling score. While the magnitude of the marbling effect of distillers grains feeding on marbling was small, this review set off a fire storm of re-analysis of existing data on the effect of distillers grains on marbling.
Most experiments conducted to date with distillers feeds were designed to measure the nutritional value of the product. So cattle were fed to constant days on feed rather than a constant endpoint. The result is that few individual experiments show negative carcass effects.
To get at the bottom of this issue requires analysis of multiple experiments or studies designed to evaluate carcass effects. Recently, Dr. Allen Trenkle of Iowa State University summarized four ISU studies where cattle were fed up to 40% distillers grains. There was some reduction in marbling at the high levels, but the net value of the carcasses in a typical grid market was not greatly different.
Taste panel analysis of tenderness, juiciness and flavor was not changed. Interestingly, corn gluten feed did not change marbling scores when fed up to 90% of the ration, suggesting that perhaps the fat content of the distillers grains may be the culprit in the marbling effect.
In another recent analysis, results indicated a decline in marbling with distillers grains feeding but not until the level reached approximately 50% of the ration dry matter. No effect on marbling was found when studies where wet distillers grains were fed.
The bottom line: Distillers grains may decrease marbling at very high levels. However, the effect is not large enough to cause great decreases in carcass value. Efforts to decrease the fat content of distillers grains may actually help reduce this effect.
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