Relationship between heifer carcass maturity and beef quality characteristics.

Our objective was to determine the relationship between heifer carcass maturity and beef palatability of the longissimus lumborum (LM) and biceps femoris (BF). Left sides of A ( = 30), B ( = 30), and C ( = 30) maturity heifer carcasses under 30 mo of age by dentition were used. Carcasses were selected to ensure similar marbling scores across maturity groups (Small to Modest).