Cattle supply is up and the beef processing industry is near capacity, which is certainly keeping processors busy. It also means facilities are using significantly more water, energy and sanitation chemistry.
With the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) declaration of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) as adulterants in non-intact raw beef products and intact raw beef products intended for non-intact use (FSIS, 2012), adding antimicrobial interventions has become standard procedure during beef harvest and further processing.
Marbling tends to get all of the praise and celebrity as it is a big contributor to the overall palatability of beef products; however, the lesser-known big factor in palatability is the physiological maturity of the beef carcass. And that's where our story begins.