National Beef Quality Audit-2022 Phase 1: face-to-face and digital interviews.

The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) has been conducted regularly since 1991 to assess and benchmark quality in the U.S. beef industry, with the most recent iteration conducted in 2022. The goal of NBQA Phase I is to evaluate what needs to be managed to improve beef quality and demand. Interviews (n = 130) of industry personnel were conducted with the aid of routing software. In total, packers (n = 24), retailers (n = 20), further processors (n = 26), foodservice (n = 18), and allied government agencies and trade organizations (n = 42) were interviewed. Interviews were routed in software based on interviewee involvement in either the fed steer and heifer market cow and bull sectors, or both. Interviews were structured to elicit random responses in the order of determining "must-have" criteria (quality factors that are required to make a purchase), best/worst ranking (of quality factors based on importance), how interviewees defined quality terms, a strength, weakness, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis, general beef industry questions, and sustainability goals (the latter four being open-ended). Quality factors were 1) visual characteristics, 2) cattle genetics, 3) food safety, 4) eating satisfaction, 5) animal well-being, 6) weight and size, and 7) lean, fat, and bone. Best/worst analysis revealed that "food safety" was the most (P < 0.05) important factor in beef purchasing decisions for all market sectors and frequently was described as "everything" and "a way of business." Culture surrounding food safety changed compared to previous NBQAs with interviewees no longer considering food safety as a purchasing criterion, but rather as a market expectation. The SWOT analysis indicated that "eating quality of U.S. beef" was the greatest strength, and cited that educating both consumers and producers on beef production would benefit the industry. Irrespective of whether companies' products were fed or market cow/bull beef, respondents said that they believed "environmental concerns" were among the major threats to the industry. Perceived image of the beef industry in the market sectors has improved since NBQA-2016 for both fed cattle and market cow/bull beef.

Establishing the link between microbial communities in bovine liver abscesses and the gastrointestinal tract.

BACKGROUND: Liver abscesses (LAs) are one of the most common and important problems faced by the beef industry. The most efficacious method for the prevention of LAs in North America is through dietary inclusion of low doses of antimicrobial drugs such as tylosin, but the mechanisms by which this treatment prevents LAs are not fully understood. LAs are believed to result from mucosal barrier dysfunction in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) allowing bacterial translocation to the liver via the portal vein, yet differences in the GIT microbiome of cattle with and without LAs have not been explored. Here, we characterized microbial communities from LAs, rumen, ileum, and colon from the same cattle for the first time. RESULTS: Results demonstrate that tylosin supplementation was associated with differences in microbial community structure in the rumen and small intestine, largely because of differences in the predominance of Clostridia. Importantly, we show for the first time that microbial communities from multiple LAs in one animal's liver are highly similar, suggesting that abscesses found at different locations in the liver may originate from a localized source in the GIT (rather than disparate locations). A large portion of abscesses were dominated by microbial taxa that were most abundant in the hindgut. Further, we identified taxa throughout the GIT that were differentially abundant between animals with and without liver abscesses. Bifidobacterium spp.-a bacteria commonly associated with a healthy GIT in several species-were more abundant in the rumen and ileum of animals without LAs compared to those with LAs. CONCLUSIONS: Together these results provide the first direct comparison of GIT and LA microbial communities within the same animal, add considerable evidence to the hypothesis that some LA microbial communities arise from the hindgut, and suggest that barrier dysfunction throughout the GIT may be the underlying cause of LA formation in cattle.

Digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) is greater in animal-based burgers than in plant-based burgers if determined in pigs.

PURPOSE: Determine digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) for animal- and plant-based burgers and test the hypothesis that DIAAS calculated for a burger and a burger bun is additive in a combined meal. METHODS: Ten ileal cannulated gilts were fed experimental diets for six 9-d periods with ileal digesta being collected on d 8 and 9 of each period. Six diets contained a burger (i.e., 80% lean beef, 93% lean beef, 80% lean pork, Impossible Burger, or Beyond Burger) or a burger bun as the sole source of crude protein and amino acids. Three additional diets were based on a combination of the bun and 80% beef, pork, or Impossible Burger. A nitrogen-free diet was also used. The DIAAS for all ingredients and mixed meals was calculated for children from 6 months to 3 years and for individuals older than 3 years, and DIAAS for combined meals was predicted from individual ingredient DIAAS. RESULTS: The 93% lean beef and the pork burgers had greater (P < 0.05) DIAAS than the plant-based burgers for both age groups. The 80% lean beef burger had greater (P < 0.05) DIAAS than the plant burgers for children from 6 months to 3 years, and greater (P < 0.05) DIAAS than the Beyond Burger for individuals older than 3 years. There were no differences between the measured and predicted DIAAS. CONCLUSIONS: The protein quality of animal-based burgers is greater than that of plant-based burgers. However, for individuals older than 3 years, the Impossible Burger has comparable protein quality to the 80% lean beef burger. The DIAAS obtained from individual foods is additive in mixed meals.