SHORT COMMUNICATION: Tenderness of suckler beef produced in British Columbia

In order to investigate the potential of suckler beef production in British Columbia, shear force values were determined using Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) force tests on 10 major muscles obtained from suckler-raised Simmental cattle along with the longissimus thoracis from grain-and grass-fed cattle of similar breeding. Shear force values obtained for suckler beef were then compared with literature values from grain-fed beef. All suckler beef muscles except the psoas major and spinalis dorsi had lower WBS values than their grain-fed counterparts from literature values, while the longissimus thoracis was shown to have equal tenderness in all three production systems. Results suggest that a higher number of muscles from suckler beef in this study could be used as steaks than is typically observed in the North American beef industry.