Meat Quality Traits of Longissimus dorsi Muscle from Carcasses of Hanwoo Steers at Different Yield Grades

The strategy for increasing the palatability of Hanwoo beef through fattening could lead to a decline in yield grade. The aim of this study was to examine the meat quality traits of Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle from carcasses of Hanwoo steers at different yield grades. A total of 246 Hanwoo steers was divided into the following yield grades: A (n=77), B (n=76) and C (n=93). Meat quality traits, including proximate composition, cholesterol content, nucleotide content, dipeptide content, creatine and creatinine, free amino acid content, fatty acid composition, instrumental meat color, pH, water holding capacity, drip loss, cooking loss, and sensory qualities of the LD muscle from the 3 yield grades of Hanwoo carcasses were measured. The decline in yield grade from A to C resulted in an increase in crude fat and cholesterol content as well as a decrease in inosine 5`-monophosphate and aspartic acid in the LD muscle (p