Anabolic agents and meat quality: A review

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Food Science
• Meat Science

Background:

• Anabolic agents are used in livestock production to enhance growth and carcass yield.
• Understanding their impact on meat quality is crucial for industry and consumers.
• Previous research has yielded varied results regarding hormone effects on meat parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize findings from over sixty studies on anabolic agent effects on meat quality.
• To analyze impacts on carcass composition, muscle quality, and eating quality across different species and demographics.
• To identify consistent trends and variations in meat quality due to anabolic agent use.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of over sixty scientific studies.
• Categorization of data by meat quality parameters: carcass composition, muscle quality, and eating quality.
• Stratification of results by animal species (red meat and poultry), sex, and age.

Main Results:

• Anabolic agents demonstrably affect carcass composition, altering muscle-to-fat ratios.
• Effects on carcass composition vary: increased ratio in females/castrates, decreased in intact males.
• Eating quality attributes (texture, flavor, juiciness, cooking loss) show few consistent changes across studies.

Conclusions:

• Anabolic agents influence animal carcass composition, with species and sex-specific effects.
• The primary eating quality characteristics valued by consumers remain largely unaffected by hormone treatments.
• Further research may be needed to explore subtle impacts or specific agent effects on muscle quality.