DNA Testing for Beef Tenderness

At RVR Longhorns we’ve started DNA testing all of our cattle. We believe the data from this effort is well worth the additional time and expense.

One of our favorite aspects of breeding Texas Longhorns is the wide variety of colors, patterns, and horn sets on these beautiful cattle. Some Longhorn breeders compare calving season to an Easter Egg hunt in that you never know what you’ll find in the pasture. While we love the surprises DNA testing provides insight to each animal’s coat color and applying a little junior high biology we can influence the color options with each mating.

Another area that the DNA data is valuable is it tells us which cattle are the most tender. In this journey we’ve learned that tenderness is not a breed specific trait, contrary to what some cattle associations would have you believe. Nor is tenderness determined by marbling. Lean beef can be as tender, more tender even, than well marbled beef. Since Longhorns are naturally lean our goal is lean and tender beef, every time. 

In short, we're working to build a Texas Longhorn herd that consistently produces the prettiest calves and the tastiest  beef!

Further explanation below on DNA testing for beef quality.

Most of us are familiar with the USDA meat quality grading system we see in the grocery store, the one that categorizes meat as Select, Choice, or Prime. I didn’t realize before that this grading system is based solely on the visual measure of intramuscular fat called marbling. It does not indicate or ensure tenderness at all. 

Tenderness is demonstrated with precise, objective laboratory tests, measuring the shear strength needed to cut a piece of beef (Warner Bratzler shear force test), post harvest. Extensive genetic testing has found exceptional correlation between DNA markers and post-harvest meat tenderness testing. 

DNA testing for tenderness is expressed on a scale of 0 to 10; a score of 4, 5 or 6 indicates the eating experience of meat from that animal will be a good one. A score of 7 or higher promises a superior eating experience--as in being able to cut that beef with a fork!

Through these DNA results, we’ve learned that many of our cattle have tenderness scores of 6 and up. These cattle are the foundation of our beef herd. Coupling the tenderness scores with the other carcass traits supports our objectives to continue cultivating the best beef available. 

Note: You can dig further into the science at neogen.com or drop us a line. We’re always happy to share what we’ve been learning.