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Research & Development

IMR3GF’s key area of research is the overall eating quality of red meat, particularly beef and sheep meat, based on untrained consumer tests carried out in accordance with UNECE protocols.
Beef eating quality is highly variable, affects consumer enjoyment and is influenced by many factors throughout the production chain.

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KEY AREAS OF RESEARCH

Impact of post-slaughter environment factors (e.g. electrical stimulation of carcasses, hanging method and considerate chilling of carcasses) on meat quality (juiciness, tenderness, flavour and overall liking)

Aspects of a carcass which influence eating quality, such as intramuscular fat, carcass weight, yield, muscle fibre type etc.

Evaluation of carcass ossification vs. meat quality

Amount of connective tissue and fat content (marbling) vs. meat quality

Conditioning of meat and its impact on beef eating quality

Rate of pH fall and ultimate pH vs beef eating quality

Influence of any single production factor across each muscle (e.g. muscle-fibre shortening/stretching during rigor mortis

Post-rigor ageing/tenderisation

Meat quality by sex, breed (beef v/s dairy) and animal maturity

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The Importance of Ontology

The essential point of collaborative research is to ensure all involved parties follow the common ontology to enable increasing the pool of linked data which can be added to DATAbank for ongoing research.

For 25 years, eating quality research that follows MSA protocols with untrained consumers was conducted across the world. Since 2020 data were collected and securely stored in the Global DATAbank with common standards included within the UNECE structure to ensure maximum compatibility with existing UNECE and ICAR definitions. In many cases extensions of ontology have been developed to further define individual muscle and muscle positions beyond the cut trading language.

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DATAbank

International Meat Research 3G Foundation is a co-founder and co-operator of a collaborative global Eating Quality DATAbank.

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Current Projects

Our current research projects aim to advance meat quality standards and promote sustainable practices in the industry. These initiatives bring together leading researchers, industry experts, and organizations to develop innovative methodologies and share critical insights that impact global standards in meat production and consumer satisfaction

H2020 INTAQT project

The INTAQT is a five-year European Horizon 2020 project that aims to assess the relationships between animal production systems and product quality in the poultry, dairy and beef sectors. In this project IMR3GF is a part of consortium composed of 25 partners from 10 different countries.

Polish beef culinary quality management system profitable for farmers

“Polish beef culinary quality management system, profitable for farmers” is a 2.5-year project aimed at development and implementation of a new methodology for prediction and assessment of eating quality (palatability) of beef in Poland. The methodology used in the research within this project has been recommended by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and published as a result of the work of the Working Group on Quality Standards for Agricultural Products (UNECE/ECE/UN).

In this project IMR3GF is a part of consortium composed of the Polish Beef Association, beef producer and Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology Polish Academy of Sciences.