Will Limousin and Limousin Cross cattle qualify for MSA grading?
Limousin cross cattle on good nutrition (grain or grass) will qualify for grading providing they have at least 3mm of fat cover over the ribs. Some of their cuts will be graded as premium tenderness and supreme tenderness especially if they have low ossification and a high weight to maturity ratio. Purebred Limousins will also grade provided they have adequate fat cover. It is more difficult to get even fat cover over the hindquarter or purebred Limousins so there is a risk of these cuts not being graded if the animal is not well finished. Table 1. The basic model showing a output in terms of palatability (CMQ4 score) for a typical carcass in which all cuts were aged for 14 days and cooked under a variety of cooking techniques. The grade number beside the CMQ4 value represents whether the cut can be graded as 3, 4 or 5 star product. A cross (x) represents no grade for that particular cut if it is cooked by that technique after the stated ageing period. There is a blank space where the
