Introduction
From May 13th to August 7th 2014, I was in Dakota City, Nebraska as the Tyson Fresh Meats Carcass Merchandising Intern. Most of my time in the plant in Dakota City was spent on the grade chain applying USDA Grading Requirements and Tyson Merchandising Tagging Procedures. During the process of my internship I learned how to look at cattle based on carcass characteristics. One of the things to really stand out to me that became an ongoing interest to me was the use of β- adrenergic agonists. The carcasses that we saw were physically different then naturally raised cattle as well as a significant USDA quality difference. By naturally raised I mean cattle that are not given the β- adrenergic agonists feed additives. The carcasses that were apparent to be given these β- adrenergic agonists appeared to be extremely heavily muscled. I became every interested in these β- adrenergic agonists that were being fed and their relation to the carcass qualities I was seeing on the rail.
Discussion
There is a vast amount of information on β-adrenergic agonists especially after their banning from plants that began after my internship in September of 2013. β-adrenergic agonists have been studied for many years due to their advancements in growth potential. The β-adrenergic agonists that are commonly used in the United States and the β- adrenergic agonists that we saw at Tyson were Zilpaterol Hydrochloride and Ractopamine Hydrochloride otherwise marketed by Merck Animal Health as Zilmax (zilpatherol hydrochloride) and Elanco Animal Health’s Opaflexx (ractopamine hydrochloride). In 2003 and 2006, respectably, research-based dietary additives were accepted to be used to enhance the efficiency of gain became allowable in the beef cattl...
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....A. Scanga, D.R. McKenna, W.H. Kolath, P.L. Chapman, J.D. Tatum, and K.E. Belk. "Effects of Ractopamine Hydrochloride and Zilpaterol Hydrochloride Supplementation on Longissimus Muscle Shear Force and Sensory Attributes of Beef Steers." Journal Of Animal Science 91 (2013): 5989-997. Print.
2. Delmore, R.J., Hodgen, J.M., and Johnson, B.J. “Perspectives on the application of Zilpatherol hydrochloride in the United States beef industry” Journal Of Animal Science 88 (2010): 2825-2828. Print.
3. R. J. Rathmann, B. C. Bernhard, R. S. Swingle, T. E. Lawrence, W. T. Nichols, D. A. Yates, J. P. Hutcheson, M. N. Streeter, J. C. Brooks, M. F. Miller and B. J. Johnson. “Effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride and days on the finishing diet on feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, and tenderness in beef heifers.” Journal Of Animal Science 90 (2013): 3301-3311. Print.
“U.S. Meat Production,” PSR, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Washington, D.C. 2014. Print. Web 1 Apr. 2014.
In today's society, organic food is a giant new thing in which food is produced without any chemicals. In other words, the product must be 100 percent natural. A major food source of the American people is meat, and the way that it is produced today is a major issue. In feedlots, where cattle are fed grain to grow before being slaughtered, the conditions are terrible and horrifying. Cattle are confined to a limited amount of space and not allowed to roam freely. Also in these cattle growing yards, the risk of disease is much higher in these animals than out on the open range grazing on the grass. Beef critics say that there are no cattle breeds that posses the amounts of marbling present to make a good steak. It is a true statement to say that these critics are very indeed wrong. Also, Many people also do not know that that the meat from cattle that are fed grain, is high in fat content and has too much marbling. Grass-fed beef is much leaner than grain-fed beef, has less fats, and is produced all naturally. Therefore, grass-fed beef is much healthier and safer to eat than grain-fed beef.
For as long as there have been horse slaughterhouses in the United States, they have been an issue of controversy (Associated Press State and Local Wire, 8/7/01). Currently, only two slaughterhouses that produce horse meat intended...
... flesh are then ground into a paste-like matter, which is cleansed with the previously mentioned ammonia to rid it of E. coli. The meat filler product is purchased by many fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s. The Beef Products executive predicts that his product will be in 100% of hamburgers within the next five years.
From my introduction we can see that Brazil is the world’s main beef producer. The beef produced in Brazil is mostly from their own breed of Nellore cattle. The production system is mainly grass based which can lead to low efficiency. In recent years feedlots have become more common for finishing off animals to meet external demand. Animals usually spend about 70 days in the feedlots to achieve the minimum of 4 millimetres fat cover needed before slaughtering cattle are fed in feedlots mostly during the dry season, when pasture availability is decreased. This strategy is used to maintain a constant beef supply to the external markets nonetheless the beef cattle industry in Brazil is still based on grass feeding. At some point this constitutes an important advantage for Brazilian beef exportations because some countries look for “natural beef.” Animals are usually slaughtered at around 36 months old this late age is due to the tropical grass that they have been eating. For the domestic consumer in Brazil flavour is more important than tenderness so this late slaugh...
For some consumers of meat products, however, marbling is a must, because of the flavor and moisture that fat gives to the meat. This is not to say that venison is not flavorful or tender, but just a little less than that of beef. Beef has more than three times the amount of cholesterol than venison does, which gives those with heart disease a chance to eat a meat that is low in cholesterol (Rail). Even bet...
America is one of the world’s largest producers of beef. According to Raloff (2002), approximately 36 million beef cattle are raised in America each year, and approximately two-thirds are treated with hormones (para.2). Farmers use these hormones to increase the rate of growth in their cattle. By increasing the cattle’s growth rate, the farmers can produce more beef and still making more money, they can sell it at an inexpensive rate to the consumers. The hormones that may be administered to beef and dairy cattle may already be produced, in small amounts, naturally in their own bodies or synthetic. According to the U.S. Department of Food and Drug Administration (2002), “the accepted naturally occurring hormones that may be administered to beef and milk producing cattle are estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and the synthetic hormones that are accepted are zeranol, trenbolone acetate, and melengestrol acetate.” None of the hormones listed above are acceptable in the industries in Europe to give for the food and milk productions.
Speed, in a word, or, in the industry’s preferred term, “efficiency.” Cows raised on grass simply take longer to reach slaughter weight than cows raised on a richer diet, and for a half a century now the industry has devoted itself to shortening a beef animal’s allotted span on earth… what gets a steer from 80 to 1,100 pounds in fourteen months is tremendous quantities of corn, protein and fat supplements, and an arsenal of new drugs. (71)
One big question you have to ask is is this lab-grown meat good for our health. According to The Atlantic health section, eating their lab-grown meats can lead to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some kinds of cancer. Desley White ,lecturer in dietetics at Plymouth University, stated
Every beef cattle produced is injected with steroids. With the injection of steroids it makes the cow grow at an alarming rate, and helps turn food into muscle at a quicker rate. But this is the obvious information. What are they putting into both dairy cattle and beef cattle that could cause harm to us? There is a harmful hormone called IGF. Now, this hormone is not directly put into the cattle. But, all cattle are given rBGH (to put simply it helps them produce more milk/meat). But, rBGH is directly linked to IGF, a hormone that mimics the effects of the growth of human hormones in dangerous ways. It is said that cattle containing rBGH produce 10 times to IGF than cattle without rBGH. “In a 2004 study, patients with above-average IGF levels had nearly a 50% higher risk of prostate cancer and a 65% higher risk of hormone-dependent premenopausal breast cancer than people with below-average levels.” says Carina Storrs of Health.com. Also, a lot of cattle are dosed with high amounts of antibiotics, like penicillin. It is said that a lot of the antibiotics that humans use become ineffective from being exposed to antibiotic resistant bacteria from eating beef! These are just a few of MANY drugs put into cattle. Do you see how consuming high amounts of beef could be harmful to
...tical human assumptions about how beef is raised and whether or not it is healthy. Thanks to these people, the industry has become stronger and more united. There is currently, and forever will be, a major need for beef. The effect of this is that there will always be a need for beef producers, processers, and advocates. To keep cattle prices on the rise, and continue the economic growth we are currently seeing throughout the United States, we will have and need some very influential advocates to make sure the world knows the facts about the commercial cattle industry. This in-depth study revealed many of those facts including an industry overview, production and marketing phases, and products of beef. Thanks to the American farmer and rancher the commercial beef cattle industry has and will continue to be a dominant agricultural industry throughout the U.S.A.
researchers are suggesting a more “judicious” approach in utilizing “limited biological raw materials” such as fish products (De Silva & Turchini, 2008). The challenges unique to the pet food industry is that, “pet food professionals need not only consider the total amount of protein to target, but also the quality, bioavailability, and ingredient source as well” when designing their formulas (Swanson, Carter, Yount, Aretz, & Buff, 2013). Research also indicates a need to further study the impact of the pet food industry on the fish market so that any prevalent issues are brought to the light, discussed and resolved instead of ignored (De Silva & Turchini,
An abundance of Americans have no idea that most of the food that they consume are either processed or altered in one way or another. “Almost all beef cattle entering feedlots in the United States are given hormone implants to promote faster growth. The first product used for this purpose is DES (diethylstilbestrol) it was approved for use in beef cattle in 1954. An estimated two-thirds of the nation's beef cattle were treated with DES in 1956. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, Brazil, and Skakkebaek)” Many people enjoy the various meats that comes from a cow, but that would probably change if the consumers knew that cattle is one of the most processed meat source in the market today because of the synthetic hormones that the cows are given. “ The three synthetic hormones are the estrogen compound zeranol, the androgen trenbolone acetate, and progestin melengestrol acetate. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, B...
Bhat, Z.f., and Hina Bhat. "Animal-free Meat Biofabrication." American Journal of Food Technology 6.6 (2011): 441-59. Print.
The drugs given to the cattle or poultry do not fully break down in the digestive system in the livestock and the excrement has these remains in it afterwards. The effects are worse within the systems of the animals; deformities can occur with aviary livestock, such as crippling from leg and joint disfigurements. Rapid growth in chickens now cause the respiratory system, heart and lungs, to fail because both are not developed well enough to support the body it is attached to; which ends in expiry.* Diseases are produced by organisms that learn and build up immunities to affect other organisms and cause the victim to become in poor health; antibiotics used to in mass are a way that pathogens learn to build immunities just as humans use them to fight off disease. Subjecting our livestock to copious amounts of these drugs may make pathogens resistant to medicine used for ill humans. “Medical ... authorities have reached consensus that antibiotic overuse in animal agriculture is contributing to human public health problems.” * Human medical providers of all over the world agree that injecting livestock with antibiotics for the weight gain is instigating more hazardous diseases. The decision was made after studies made connections to human infections to drug-resistant pathogens from farm production