Why is Belgian Blue meat more tender?
A – Meat is basically composed of muscle fibre with some fat in between and connective tissue. The more muscle fibre you genetically pack into a volume of meat, the less room there is for tough connective tissue and fat. Interestingly, research has proven that muscle growth is related to tenderness (Renand et al). Q – How will Belgian Blues fit in my beef selection program? A – While praised by judges, body length and bone structure have little influence on carcass yield. Beef selection programs have traditionally focused on factors like birth and weaning weight, daily gains. Though important to a farmer, those factors are of little importance to the packer and butcher. To them, what is important are muscle mass and proportion of muscle in a carcass because they mean dollars in the pocket. Fortunately, the most important selection criterion, muscling, is the very thing that separates the Belgian Blue from all other beef breeds. So the question is – how can a breeder take advantage of t
