The food value of beef from steers and heifers, and its relation to dressing-out percentage

Abstract

1. An investigation has been carried out on the food value of beef from steers and heifers. A very varied group was used, selected as being representative of the beef animals slaughtered in England in war time. The animals were from five breeds; ages varied from 1 to over 4 years, live weights from 6½ to 14 cwt. and dressing-out percentages from 50 to 62.2. The chemical composition of the beef varied widely. The fat from the edible meat, expressed as a percentage of the live weight, varied from 4·6 to 21·6 %, the protein from 6·1 to 7·4%, and the water from 22·8 to 27·4%. The ratio of fat to protein in the edible meat varied from 0·7: 1 to 3·4: 1.