Effects of production factors on the quality of beef

Meat quality is the result of complex effects, which depend on many factors, primarily the location of the muscle in the body, but also on sex, breed, nutrition, growth rate, age at slaughter, fatness and carcass conformation. The literature on the subject of the various influencing factors is reviewed, and their impact on bovine meat quality is evaluated. All these factors vary in the different production systems. The impact of various production systems which are currently in use in Switzerland on beef quality will be discussed by the authors in a separate review article.