Correlation between shear force and grade decision factors on Hanwoo cow carcass

This study was carried out to evaluate the correlation between shear force determined by tenderness analyzer and grade decision factors consisting of yield grade (carcass weight, ribeye area, backfat thickness) and quality grade (meat color, fat color, marbling, maturity, texture) in a total of 200 Hanwoo cows. Results showed that there was a negative correlation between shear force and yield grade (r=-0.186, p<0.01), i.e., when the grade of carcass yield increased (A score), the shear force value decreased. Shear force scores showed a significant correlation with marbling scores (r=-0.19, p<0.01), but no correlation with scores of meat color, fat color and texture. The maturity of Hanwoo cows is known to be one of the major factors for evaluating the grade, and the maturity showed no significant correlation with shear force value (r=-0.05, p>0.05). It is possible to get useful information for evaluating the grade of Hanwoo cows if further studies addressing the correlation of water holding capacity, juiciness, taste and overall acceptability with maturity are carried out.