With the continuous improvement of social material living standards, people's demand for healthy food is also getting higher and higher, the demand for meat food is particularly prominent, and the desire for imported high-quality beef from overseas has become one of the ingredients that people are willing to spend money to buy. So, how much do consumers know about healthy and high-quality imported beef? Below, this article will lead you to understand it from several aspects such as type, feeding method, meat quality grade, and purchase.
First, about the type
Cattle are one of the common livestock, and the types of cattle have evolved over time from ancient times to the present. In the early days, trained cattle were initially mainly used for service, and later with the development of agricultural mechanization and changes in consumption, except for a few developing countries where cattle are still mainly used for service, ordinary cattle have developed in the direction of specialization through continuous breeding and hybridization. For example, the United Kingdom has bred many meat cattle and meat and milk breeds; continental European countries are the main producers of most dairy cattle breeds. At present, most of the people for human consumption are mainly dairy cows and beef cattle.
Among them, dairy cows are dairy breeds of cattle, and they are excellent breeds that have been highly selected and bred. Most dairy cows are mainly black and white flower cows, milk is nutritionally comprehensive, is a suitable drink for long-term drinking, and is also an important raw material for the modern dairy industry. Of course, in addition to producing milk, cows can also be eaten as beef cattle.
Beef cattle, or beef cattle, are a type of cattle that mainly produce beef. It is characterized by a full body, fast weight gain, high feed utilization, good meat production performance and good meat taste. Beef cattle not only provide meat supplies for people, but also provide people with other side foods. The prospects for beef cattle farming are broad. Below, we will analyze and summarize Australian cattle in detail in two forms: dairy cows and beef cattle.
(1) Cows
1. Holstein cattle – HOLSTEIN CATTLE
Holstein cattle are Australia's leading dairy cattle breed and the world's most prolific cow. Holstein cattle are large and have a very specific body color (black, white or red and white), and cows can reach a height of up to 150 cm and weigh more than 600 kg. Holstein bulls can exceed 180 centimeters tall and weigh more than 1 ton (almost the size of a small car). Heifers can be bred around 13 months of age (when weighing about 362 kg). The average Holstein production life is around 4 years. Holstein cattle produce the highest milk of any dairy cow, with some producing 10 tonnes of raw milk per year, the equivalent of producing 5,000 2-litre milk cartons per year.
2. JuanShan Cattle – JERSEY CATTLE
Juanshan cattle are known for their high milk fat content and low management costs in their milk production. Juanshan cattle are small, with a live weight of between 400-500 kg. The main reason for their popularity is the high economic efficiency of production, which can accommodate more lactating cattle in cattle farms because of their low weight. Juanshan cattle produce less milk per year than Holstein cattle because they are not as heavy as Holstein. However, Juanshan cattle have a low weight, strong herbivorous ability and low maintenance costs, which make their breeding efficiency higher, and if the breeding method is proper, its production life is higher than that of Holstein cattle.
3. Swiss Brown Cattle – BROWN SWISS CATTLE
The milk of the Swiss brown cow is the best choice for cheese production. Swiss brown cattle are grey, dark brown or brown in colour. Their hooves, snout, and tail are usually black. This kind of cattle has low maintenance costs, high yields, strong adaptability, longer production periods, and more economic benefits for dairy farmers. Raising Swiss brown cattle is a great option for modern dairy farmers because they can adapt to hot or cold climates and a variety of terrain. Due to their long milk production and strong legs and hooves, Swiss brown cattle are the perfect choice for modern dairy farmers. Swiss brown cows produce high milk and have a high milk protein and milk fat content, which is very suitable for cheese production. As a result, dairy farmers who raise Swiss brown cattle often sell more for more per 45 litres of milk than other farmers' raw milk.
4. Italian Buffalo – ITALIAN BUFFALO
Managing Italian buffalo is different from the management of beef cattle because their temper is completely different from other cattle. Australians began raising Italian buffalo in the 1820s, mainly for meat and cowhide. The way buffalo is raised has a direct impact on the quality, freshness and milk production of their meat. Quiet buffalo produces more tender meat. Recently, due to the popularity of buffalo milk products, dairy farmers have begun to develop buffalo dairy farms in Queensland and Victoria. The most suitable buffalo breed for the Australian environment and the use of both milk and meat is the river water buffalo. Typically, a buffalo cow produces 1200 litres of milk per year. One of the many benefits of raising these buffalo cows is that they can produce milk by eating only pasture, while the price of refined feed in Australia is steadily rising.
(2) Beef cattle
1. Angus Cattle – ANGUS CATTLE
As one of the most successful breeds, Angus is highly regarded in hybridization solutions for its outstanding quality. Originating in Northern Scotland, Angus beef cattle are known for their marbling of their flesh and excellent taste. Even with minimal fattening time, Angus is still able to produce the top beef. The sexual characteristics of producing fine beef are not limited to Angus, but Angus is becoming increasingly popular because of its consistency in quality. Angus is a docile cow with a strong adaptability and has proven its advantages time and time again in fattening farms.
2. Australian Wagyu – Australian WAGYU
Wagyu was introduced to Australia from Japan in 1991. This beef cattle breed originated in Asia and was introduced in the nineteenth century to crossbreed The English breed was introduced to improve the pedigree. Wagyu cattle are predominantly black, but they do have red genetic ancestry. Wagyu beef is known for its marbling fat, which has a significant ratio of intermuscular fat in the same class of marbling as other beef cattle breeds. For Wagyu beef, marbling fats begin to form at 12 months of age and up to 24 months. In Australia, Wagyu cattle are mainly used to cross other British breeds to produce fattening castrated bulls for supply to the Japanese market.
3. Highford Cattle – HEREFORD CATTLE
High-quality beef must be produced every time. Hyfford cattle have great fertility, growth rate and feed conversion rate. Native to Highlandshire, England, the cattle are farmed in a variety of climatic conditions around the world, from Russia in the north to Australia in the south. Hyfford cattle are able to efficiently convert hay and grain so that small amounts of feed can last a long time, even in fattening farms. In order to obtain the best quality hybrid cattle, hybridizing Highford bulls and Angus cows can produce black bald cattle, which is one of the best hybrid beef cattle on the market.
4. Brahmin cattle – BRAHMAN CATTLE
Australia's Brahmin cattle combine high adaptability and high yield potential, and heat resistance under tropical beef cattle breeding conditions is a major economic advantage. The special digestive system of Brahmin cattle makes it perform better than other cattle with weak adaptability in the case of low-protein, low-quality feeds. Australian Brahmin cattle are resistant to heat because of melanin on the skin, increased number of effective sweat glands on the skin, smooth, soft and reflective hair, and slower metabolism than other species. Their smooth hairs make ticks difficult to attach to, and the chemicals secreted in the sweat glands have an insect repellent effect. Their immune response also provides some resistance to parasites in the tropics.
5. Drought King Cattle – DROUGHTERMASTER
Drought-resistant king cattle rose in temperate zones and are now found throughout Australia. Drought-resistant king cattle were first cross-bred in Australia in 1900 by cross-breeding cattle and tumor cattle. These cattle have 50% of the genes of each side and inherit the best genetic advantages of both cattle. The body color of drought-resistant king cattle is usually red, as light as gold honey and as deep as dark red. The horns of this cow are usually removed. Drought-resistant king cattle advantages: heat resistance, anti-parasite resistance, high fecundity, easy calving, temperate temper.
6. Murray Grey Bull – MURRAY GREY CATTLE
Murray Grey is a breed of beef cattle bred in Australia by an Angus and shorthorn cattle hybrids. The body color of this cow ranges from silver gray to dark gray. Murray ash was bred in Australia in the 1900s and today the cattle have spread across the globe, including Japan, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The carcass of the inky gray can also take on a marbled flesh, making it a popular type in fattening grounds. As a result, Murray ash has also become the darling of the growing Japanese market. This cattle has won many prizes in many beef competitions in Australia and is ideal for fattening to the highest standards of Australian beef for domestic sale or export.
7. Charolais cattle – CHAROLAIS CATTLE
Originating in France, Charolais is widely bred for its excellent flesh quality and the quality of its hybrid offspring – especially when crossed with Angus or Hyfford cattle. The Charolais cattle are a large, muscular breed of cattle that weigh up to 1,100 kg for bulls and 900 kg for cows. Charolais cattle are widely known for their outstanding growth rates and allow breeding to be able to decide the direction of cattle breeding at an early stage to suit the special market. In addition, the Australian Charolais cattle have adapted to Australia's diverse climatic conditions.
8. Simmental cattle – SIMMENTAL CATTLE
Simmental cattle originated in western Switzerland and have long been raised as dairy, beef or camel animals. The average weight of bulls is about 1,100 kg and cows are about 700 kg. Simmental cattle were introduced to Australia in 1972 and have since adapted to Australia's changing natural environment and production system. Characteristics of Australian Simontar cattle: young cattle can reach the weight of the pen earlier, alleviating the pressure of the pen; Simmental has a large muscle group and a lot of lean meat, which can produce more best-selling beef.
9. Limousan cattle – LIMOUSIN CATTLE
Originating in France, Limousin cattle are a very muscular beef cattle. About 200 years ago, Limousin was widely concerned for producing high-quality beef. Because of its low calf birth weight (easy calving), carcass live-to-weight ratio is higher than the average, high feed conversion rate, the meat quality is more tender and is welcomed by the public. Limousin's beef tastes good and is low in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.
10. Beef Cattle King – BEEF CATTLE
The King Beef Cattle is the only beef cattle breed in the world that is bred entirely for the purpose of producing high-quality meat, bred in the 1930s and is a hybrid of High Ford, shorthorn cattle and Brahmin cattle. The Beef King is distinguished from other species by the "six cores", the selection principles used to breed this cow – six cores: temperament, fertility, weight, form, strength, and milk production. While some breeders spend time and money improving genetic traits such as height, body color, and horns, the key genetic improvement traits of the breeding beef king are the "six cores," which are more important than all other hereditary traits. In addition, The King Beef Cattle can tolerate extreme temperatures, and no other breed can show better fertility, strength and milk production than the King Beef Cattle under a variety of environmental conditions.
Second, about breeding
In the breeding of cattle, it is generally divided into two types: grain-fed and grass-fed. But when they first give birth, all cows begin with their mothers being fed milk, and then they are weaned to feed the harvested pasture until they weigh about 400-500 pounds. When the calves reach these weights, they will be sold.
Then they either continue to feed the grass or start feeding the grain. Until they reach the expected harvest weight of the farmer. The two feeding methods are significantly different, not only in terms of consumer eating habits, but also in terms of feeding input costs, meat taste and feeding time. Is one of them better fed than the other? The answer is very subjective: personal preferences, tastes, and beliefs play a large role in consumers.
1. Feeding environment:
(1) Grain feeding captivity
When calves grow to a certain weight in the pasture, they are sold to the feedlot and fed the formula feed for fattening, so that the beef cattle can grow to the finished weight as quickly as possible. In most cases, mixed grain feeds contain up to 75% corn. Grain-fed cattle generally achieve the expected harvest weight between 18 and 24 months of age.
So what exactly is "captivity"? In fact, "captivity" is the breeding place where beef cattle are fed grains (a process called fattening) to produce the type of carcass that consumers expect. All feedlot structures, layouts are basically the same, where cattle gather and feed bunks are laid. The situation of cattle in the feedlot is closely monitored, the feed is fed scientifically and effectively, and the clean water is supplied unrestricted all year round. The pressure on beef cattle is also closely monitored by managers. Animals under stress are more susceptible to illness, and sick cattle grow slowly without gaining weight, which will most likely cost farmers money. Grain-fed beef is sold year-round because grain feeding is less affected by adverse climates than pasture feeding, and it can easily be trucked from other areas. Most feedlots work in corn production belts in midwestern states.
(2) Grass-fed environment
Grass-fed beef cattle start by feeding them forage, where they are herded on wide pastures and eaten with fresh grass until they reach maturity, usually 30-36 months of age. Bad weather can force cattle to be moved to a pasture shed and fed with harvest grass. During the winter months, the pasture is dormant and the grass-fed cattle have to be fed feed.
2. Meat quality and nutrition under two feeding methods
Grass-fed beef has lean meat, low fat content, rich flavor and tender meat. Higher cooking techniques are required than grain-fed beef to prevent unpleasant eating experiences. Grass-fed cattle mature more slowly than grain-fed cattle, so their meat is delicious, muscular and fibrous, and the taste is more tough and chewy. However, because grass-fed needs to invest more costs, including time and materials, these are passed on to consumers. Therefore, in the United States, grass-fed beef is more expensive than grain-fed beef. Grass-fed beef is lean and has higher protein, with an average of more than 1.5 times more than grain-fed beef. Studies have shown that eating lean beef can help lower total cholesterol, LDL and VLDL cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing the beneficial HDL cholesterol. It can also help lower blood pressure, help with weight loss, improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control.
Third, about the grade
Depending on the breed and feeding method of cattle, there are also some differences in the grade of imported beef, according to different reference bases, the classification of imported beef also has many kinds of consideration standards, and the beef rating standards of different countries are also different.
The rating of Japanese Wagyu beef is determined by four dimensions. These include BMS (Beef Marbling Standard), also known as snowflake pattern, as well as beef color standard, firmness of meat and texture of meat ( Texture ), and beef fat Stantard.
Australian beef (including Australian Wagyu beef) is rated by marbling fat, flesh color, fat color, dorsal fat (subcutaneous fat thickness), and ketone physiological maturity.
U.S. Beef Rating Criteria: Based on maturity and marble fat.
It can be seen that no matter where the beef is, the most intuitive rating is based on marble fat.
The fat content of marble is also the distribution of snowflakes. Snowflakes represent the distribution table structure of fat and lean meat, generally speaking, the more the better, the more even the distribution is better. Of course, when comparing, it is necessary to compare the meat of the same part, take the filet and the beef steak, it is obvious that the snowflakes of the ox steak are distributed more, and the conclusion that the beef steak is higher than the level of the phil, which is definitely wrong.
Even if you don't understand beef, you know that the more snowflakes there are, the higher the grade of beef. How are the different countries divided into hierarchies?
1.Japanese wagyu beef
When it comes to beef, we have to talk about Japanese Wagyu beef, as the most expensive beef in the world, the grading system of Japanese Wagyu beef is very strict.
Japanese Wagyu Beef has three grades, A, B, and C, and each grade has 1 to 5 meat grades, so there are a total of 15 grades.
The determination of the ABC level is based on the proportion of edible meat after the bones and bones of the Wagyu cattle have been removed. Grade A refers to edible meat up to 72% or more, and grade B Wagyu beef edible part is 69% to 72%. Wagyu beef, which is less than 69% edible, is C grade. Meat quality grades range from 1 to 5. It is often heard that the A5-level senior Wagyu beef is the top Wagyu beef.
A5 Wagyu beef fat is more, the way to eat is generally sashimi or teppanyaki, good steak is of course the simpler the better.
Japanese Wagyu beef is allowed to play hormones, so the amount of fat can reach a very high level. However, A4-A5 grade beef is still difficult to raise (not simply "fat", the most important fat deposit), so the price of top Wagyu beef is naturally high.
China does not allow the import of Japanese Wagyu beef, so you can't eat Japanese Wagyu beef at home.
2. American beef
The U.S. beef grade is based on a combination of maturity and marble fat, with eight grades.
Prime: Most of this grade of beef is sold in fine dining restaurants. Most restaurants selling this grade can see the word "U.S. Prime" on the door, indicating that the beef selected for this restaurant is the highest grade beef recognized by the U.S. government.
There are 8 grades of U.S. beef, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) classifies beef as U.S. beef. Prime), U.S. Choice), optional (U.S. Select), pass grade (U.S. Standard), commercial grade (U.S. Commercial), available level (U.S. Utility), U.S. Cutter) and U.S. Canner are the eight grades.
Generally speaking, the first two grades are steaks, followed by beef fillets, boned beef, or beef crumbs.
In the United States, Angus beef is recognized as one of the best beef, so it is usually above the prime level.
3. Australian beef
There are also many Australian cattle breeds, the famous is the Angus cattle. Angus is one of the better Australian beefs. Australian beef also has the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed, and grass-fed ratings are relatively low.
In addition to Australian beef, there is also Australian Wagyu beef. Australian Wagyu cattle are the offspring of a hybrid of Angus cattle and Japanese Wagyu cattle, inheriting the advantages of both.
The official rating of Australian Wagyu beef is from M1 to m9, and those above M9 are called M9+, but just as there are few Japanese Wagyu cattle at the A5 level, there are not many Australian Wagyu cattle in M9+. However, there are Australian companies that have set unofficial standards, ranging from M10 to M12.
The M9 is roughly equivalent to the A3 grade of Japanese Wagyu beef, but it's already delicious. And the snowflakes are already beautiful, because the melting point of the fat is low (low body temperature, so the high-grade Wagyu beef melts in the mouth, like snowflakes melting in the mouth).
Australian beef is heavily regulated, the use of hormones is prohibited, it is difficult to raise beef cattle with very much fat like Japanese Wagyu beef, and Australia is the only country that does not have mad cow disease and has the healthiest beef.
Specifically, beef grades can be distinguished from the table below.
Beef grade table
In terms of deliciousness, of course, the higher the grade, the better. If you buy steak yourself, if you don't specify the grade, it means that the meat is not high. Under normal circumstances, what grade is marked on the import label, what grade we sell, will not be fraudulent, such as you buy a piece of M9 Filet steak here by the cow boss, although the one sent to your hand is different from our real picture, but the snowflake pattern is almost the same, and the quality is the same.
Fourth, about the purchase and selection
At present, there are many channels for importing beef overseas, but consumers may also need to polish their eyes when identifying beef, and carefully select them to buy the beef they want. For the selection, here are the following lessons learned:
At present, the beef that can be formally admitted to China mainly comes from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Canadian beef and American beef style is similar, the meat taste is the strongest, because the comprehensive quality is higher so the price is also high; Australian beef to large quantity, the price is more affordable than Canadian beef, due to the difference in grain feeding methods, resulting in uneven quality, but the flavor of Australian beef is still close to Canadian beef; as the choice of imported beef at the middle price in the market, there are more catering channels, Argentina and Uruguay are mainly grass-fed beef, Uruguayan beef prices are more close to the people New Zealand's grass-fed beef is also a popular product in the market, the meat is more chewy and the price is slightly higher than that of South American beef.
In terms of taste, grain-fed cattle generally use corn, wheat, barley and grain as feed, more oil flowers, fat is snow white, flesh color is pinker, soft and tender taste; grain feeding can be divided into long-term grain feeding and short-term grain feeding. Long-term grain feeding is based on grain feeding for cattle over 300 days, while short-term grain feeding refers to cattle that are fed cereals for 90 to 100 days. The longer the grain is fed, the softer and juicier the meat, the more delicate and dense the fat texture, the brighter the lean meat color, and the more snow-white the fat color. Of course, the more expensive it is. Grass-fed cattle are generally based on natural grazing and grazing, with less fat than grain-fed cattle, yellow fat, firmer meat, more chewy meat flavor, and lower prices than grain feed.
Regarding the standard, the mainstream of the world is divided into Japanese standard, American standard and Australian standard, but due to factors such as mad cow disease, Japanese beef is prohibited from being imported into China, so we can understand the American standard and Australian standard. The U.S. Beef Quality Grade Standard divides beef into 8 grades according to its quality (represented by the marbling of fat) and physiological maturity (age). The younger the cow and the richer the marbling, the higher the level, and vice versa. The first three levels of Prime, Choice and Select are the most common levels in retail terminals. However, this rating is only for ribbed eye, filet, New York gram and other high-value pork ribs, and does not include beef brisket, beef tendon or internal organs. Canadian beef is also the same as the United States standards, although the United States beef to restore access to China, but because of the Sino-US trade war, the market is now mainly promoting Canadian beef similar to the taste of American beef. The second is the Australian Wagyu Beef Standard, which has a total of 12 grades from M1 to M12, which is a grading standard specifically for Australian Wagyu cattle, similar to the A1 to A5 grades of Japanese Wagyu. However, at present, Japanese Wagyu beef has not been opened for import, so the A-word standard should not appear. Such standards have emerged in anecdotal ways to confuse the market with prices. Some experts have pointed out that the period between M0 and M3 (sometimes referred to as MB0 to MB3) refers to the general beef cattle; the oilflower grade must be up to M4 to be classified as wagyu beef. As for the common sayings on the market: frost cattle, snowflake cattle, etc., can not correspond to the beef parts or varieties, but this stems from the Japanese description of the texture state of beef, local importers follow suit.
About preservation. Beef is very sensitive to refrigeration temperatures. In general, frozen beef must be kept at minus 18 degrees Celsius, while the refrigeration temperature of chilled beef cannot be higher than 4 degrees Celsius, and the most taboo is repeated thawing, which not only loses the taste of meat, but also breeds bacteria. Beef in the transport of temperature and time can not be preserved, even if the ice pack is useless, if you see the frozen beef packaging, there is a red solid that forms an ice body, or the color of the beef is black, it proves that the beef has been repeatedly thawed, then it is best not to buy. It is recommended that if feasible, or choose professional cold chain transportation to ensure that the temperature difference during transportation will not be too large, resulting in the quality of meat is affected. In addition, it should be reminded that the most neglected is the outer packaging of the wrapped beef. Internationally, in order to ensure the quality of beef, it is packaged with high oxygen resistance heat shrinkable film to prevent beef oxidation and deterioration, which can be stored for 24 months in case of freezing and more than one week in refrigeration. The ordinary plastic wrap can only store beef for 3 days at the refrigeration temperature is already the limit. However, only a very few beef retail specialty stores in the city can do this.
In addition to the above points, here is also a reminder how to properly thaw meat. Since the high-grade ingredients are all frozen products, in order to eat 100% original taste, the thawing link is very important. Meat thawing, there are two key nodes, one is 0 ° C, the meat begins to soften, and one is at 4 ° C, the meat will begin to sweat water to lose the taste of meat. Therefore, in order to keep the taste of red meat from losing, it is best to slowly thaw it in the refrigerator refrigerator from 0 ° C to 2 ° C. If you are in a hurry to eat, you should soak it in room temperature water with a sealed bag, so that after 30 minutes, it will be soft enough to cook, and do not rinse directly with water.
If you can do the above points, I believe that you will be able to pick high-quality imported beef.