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Galloway Ranks High with Consumers

While essentially all USDA inspected  beef is visually evaluated to assign a quality grade, i.e.  Prime, Choice, Select, by the USDA grader, research using Computer Image Analysis has revealed what the human eye has been missing!  This technique allows fat deposits as small as 4 pixels to be detected and evaluated in the meat, far smaller than what the naked eye of the grader can see.

Studies in Europe have shown the Galloway to be possessed of a unique marbling pattern comprised of very fine, discrete parcels of intramuscular fat distributed in a very even pattern. This is in contrast the larger, visible streaking deposits of fat common in many breeds.*

This chart is the result of a German study that compared the nature of the marbling and taste panel opinions. [Albrecht 8/97]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This marbling phenomenon of the Galloway, while not discernible by the human eye, results in a cut of beef for consumers that has lower overall fat content, but distributes that fat in such a way as to increase flavor and juiciness of every bite.

Taste panels in the U.S. and abroad have shown Galloway beef will rank at or near the top of the charts when consumers have a vote on the qualities that most impact their eating experience: Tenderness, flavor, marbling and juiciness.

The Galloway had the most desirable scores for the 3 fat distribution parameters listed, and likewise scored highest in all four of the taste parameters tested by taste panels. (note: The smaller the value for the ‘distribution of fat areas’, the more regu1arly the fat is distributed. The number of areas of fat gives an important indication of the "quality of marbling": the more areas of fat the better. The size of each area of fat should be as small as possible.

Galloway represented by Red line. Horizontal axis shows change as animal matures in months. [Albrecht 8/97]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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* 89th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science. Study Presentation Notes

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