is wagyu beef bad for you

This review addresses the characteristics and health benefit of highly marbled Wagyu and Hanwoo beef. Marbling of Wagyu and Hanwoo beef has been increased in Japan and Korea to meet domestic consumer preferences. Wagyu and Hanwoo cattle have high potential of accumulating intramuscular fat (IMF) and producing highly marbled beef. The IMF content varies depending on the feeding of time, finishing diet, and breed type. IMF increases when feeding time is increased. The rate of IMF increase in grain-fed cattle is faster than that in pasture-fed cattle. Fatty acid composition are also different depending on breeds. Wagyu and Hanwoo beef with a lot of marbling has more monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) because it has more oleic acid. MUFAs have little effect on total cholesterol. They are heart-healthy dietary fat because they can lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol while increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. Clinical trials have indicated that highly marbled beef does not increase LDL-cholesterol. This review also says that Wagyu and Hanwoo beef, which are high in oleic acid, may be able to lower the risk of heart disease.

Wagyu and Hanwoo cattle are major beef breeds in Japan and Korea, respectively. Their marbling has been increased over many decades to meet domestic consumer preferences. People in both Japan and Korea really like beef with a lot of marbling for traditional meat dishes like Sukiyaki and Gogigui. Because of these needs, the use of heifers and steers instead of bulls, an intensive feeding system, and the genetic strength of Wagyu and Hanwoo cattle have caused them to store more fat than European breeds. As intramuscular fat (IMF) makes beef better, at least in terms of taste and juiciness (Hornsterin and Wasserman, 1987; Wheeler et al. , 1994), marbling is an accepted indicator of meat quality. It is assessed in abattoirs by meat graders in various countries, including USA, Australia, Japan, and Korea.

Like other foods, meat serves three purposes: 1) It gives you nutrition, 2) It tastes great, and 3) It keeps you from getting sick. Even though these three things are true about beef, in Japan and Korea, boiled rice is the main dish and beef is the side dish. Therefore, these two countries have developed the quality of beef rather than its quantity. This is quite different from foreign countries where meat is consumed as a main dish. Beef that is soft, tasty, and has a good red color is needed for Japanese and Korean cooking styles like Sukiyaki and Gogigui.

Nowadays, bioscience has given us a new concept on health. In the past, fat wasn’t thought to be good for people’s health, even though it’s an important source of energy for people. Recently, fat has been reported to have fewer adverse effects on health than carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates. In fact, meat has been very important in helping humans develop a healthy, well-balanced diet (Pereira and Vicente, 2013). Furthermore, meat plays a pivotal role in nutritious diets. Quality marbled beef is not only delicious to eat, but it also has a lot of good fatty acids in it (Troy et al. , 2016). This paper talks about the qualities and health benefits of highly marbled beef from Wagyu and Hanwoo cattle in this context.

Marbling of Wagyu and Hanwoo Beef

The plentiful marbling of Wagyu and Hanwoo beef has attracted attention. Japan and Korea both use a QG to decide how much a dead cow is worth, and marbling is one of the most important factors. Since beef imports became easier, marbling has been used a lot to tell the difference between domestic and imported beef (Hirooka, 2014; Hwang et al. , 2010). IMF is found in large amounts in Hanwoo beef, which can make it tastier and more appealing (Jung et al. , 2016). Korean consumers prefer QG 1++ or 1+ beef because of its high IMF content (Kim et al. , 1999). Iida et al. (2015) have demonstrated that an increase in crude fat content (range 23. 8-48. 6%) can increase the tenderness, juiciness, and fattiness. However, they also said that a rise in crude fat content can lower the crude protein content and slightly lower the content of umami components like glutamic acid and nucleic acid.

It is well known that IMF content varies depending on feeding time, finishing diet, and breed type. To get high-QG beef, a lot of work has gone into making Wagyu and Hanwoo muscles store more IMF. One of good strategy to increase IMF content in beef muscle is to extend slaughtering age. The marbling score went up, but it stopped going up at about 24 months of age (Choi et al. , 2002), the slaughtering age of Hanwoo has been extended to increase the BMS score (Jo et al. , 2012). In Korea, Hanwoo can now be sold at an average age of 31 months and a weight of 719 kg so that it can be used to fatten cattle (KAPE, 2015). Consequently, the marbling score has eventually increased. However, average daily gain is decreased due to increased slaughtering weight (Paek et al. , 1993). Recently, cattle in China are fed for unusually long periods of time before slaughter as Wagyu and Hanwoo. This might have contributed to their high IMF and oleic acid contents (Smith, 2016; Tanaka, 1985).

It is clear that IMF increases with feeding time for grain-fed and pasture-fed cattle. Smith et al. say that the rate of IMF rise is faster in cattle that are fed grain than in cattle that are fed pasture. , 2009). It was found that Wagyu that were fed a high-concentration diet had higher levels of adipogenic transcription factors in the adipocytes under the skin and inside the muscles than Wagyu that were fed a high-rough-age diet (Yamada and Nakanishi, 2012). Researchers have found that Wagyu has more IMF and more preadipocytes and adipocytes than Angus (Duarte et al. , 2013). Gotoh et al. The amount of IMF in the longissimus muscle of Wagyu, German Angus, Belgain Blue, and Holstein Friesian cattle was found to be 23 3%, 4. 4%. 0. 6%, and 4. 7%, respectively. The Wagyu and European cattle breeds did not differ in their mechanisms of postnatal fat accretion. However, they differed in their efficiency of accretion of IMF (Gotoh et al. , 2009). Every 1% rise in IMF in the longissimus muscle was accompanied by a corresponding rise in the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue in Wagyu, Holstein Friesian, German Angus, and Belgian Blue cattle. 0, 4. 3, 7. 9, and 10. 7 kg, respectively (Gotoh et al. , 2009).

Even though IMF content is the most important factor in determining the quality of beef, it is not the only factor that determines the quality grade of a beef carcass. Marbling is called “Shimo-furi” in Japanese and “Sang-gang” in Korean. It literally means “frosting”. Fine marbling that looks like frost is highly valued in Japan, but coarse marbling is not (Motoyama et al. , 2016). Recently, Korea also began to discriminate between fine and coarse marbling in Hanwoo beef. Because IMF deposits are mostly found between muscle fiber bundles, they cause perimysium connective tissue to become disorganized (Nishimura, 2015; Sasaki et al.). This marbling quality helps make beef tender. , 2012). So, differences in the amount of tissue disorganization caused by different histological marbling could have an effect on the quality of the feeling of tenderness.

Wagyu and Hanwoo Cattle

All four types of Wagyu cattle have played important roles locally and in the history of mixed farming. They also played important roles in the synergies between cattle and crops, especially rice. Since about 50 years ago, farmers have slowly stopped using cattle as draft animals and started using industrial fertilizers instead. In recent years, Japanese Wagyu cattle have been raised more specifically for beef production. It’s not just Japanese Black cattle that are sold under the famous brand name Wagyu. It also includes animals or even cross-bred Japanese Black cattle that are sold in other countries, like Australia and the US. Similarly, the utilization of Hanwoo cattle as an edible meat had been minimal for long time. Full-scale production of Hanwoo as meat-type cattle has started since the 1970s. Because Hanwoo cattle have maintained stable traits through pure breeding, the current blood lineage is very valuable. It is mainly spread in the Korean peninsula (Kim and Lee, 2000). Recently, Hanwoo beef has been reported to have highly marbled IMF similar to Wagyu beef. Especially, Hanwoo beef has relatively thin muscle fiber and minimal content of connective tissues (Kim et al. , 1994). It has less subcutaneous fat depth and higher ossification and marbling scores than Australian Angus (Cho et al. , 2005).

In 2013, a total of 2. 64 million heads of cattle were fed for beef production in Japan. Approximately 1. 71 million heads were Japanese Black cattle (MAFF, 2013), and approximately 873,400 were Holstein cattle. The number of households raising beef cattle is slowly decreasing in Japan. In 2013, the number of farmers producing beef was 613,000, but 86. 5% of these farmers fed less than 50 heads of cattle. It was killed when it was 26 to 30 months old and had a mean body weight of 725 kg and a carcass weight of 470 kg. Japanese Black cattle make up the majority of Japan’s Wagyu cattle population (Albrecht et al.). This is because they produce high-quality marbled beef. , 2011; Gotoh et al. , 2009; Gotoh et al. , 2014). Recently, the average IMF percentage of beef from Japanese Black Cattle has been higher than 30% (Albrecht et al. , 2011; Horii et al. , 2009).

In Korea, approximately 3. 5 million beef cattle were raised in 2015. There were a total of 1,007,000 cattle killed for food. These included 883,593 Hanwoo cattle, 66,485 Holstein cows, and 56,923 Holstein heifers and bulls (KAPE, 2015). The number of cattle farming households was 99,858, including 89,403 Hanwoo farmers (KAPE, 2015). From 186,000 households in 2006 to 89,403 households in 2015, the number of households raising Hanwoo cattle has dropped by a huge amount (KAPE, 2016). Hanwoo cattle that were 26 to 30 months old were killed and their average live weight was 719 kg and their average carcass weight was 430 kg (KAPE, 2015).

Wagyu: Myths and Misconceptions – Part 2

FAQ

What are the cons of Wagyu beef?

Why can’t you eat a lot of Wagyu beef?

Are Wagyu burgers unhealthy?

Is Wagyu beef healthier than grass fed beef?

Is Wagyu beef bad for You?

While the omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids help Wagyu stand apart from other types of meat, there are still some significant health risks associated with eating it. Wagyu beef is high in saturated fat and has the potential to cause inflammation in the body. 1. Wagyu Beef Is High in Saturated Fat

Wagyu beef vs Kobe beef: Which is healthier?

Wagyu beef is native to Japan, known for its unique flavor and tenderness. Besides, wagyu beef has highest amount of conjugated linoleic acid, almost 30% grater than other Moreover, kobe beef is also a type of wagyu beef from the Tajima strain of Japanese black cattle. Both the meats have same nutritional values when compared. However, as red meat has high amounts of saturated fats, their consumption needs to be restricted to only once per week.

Why is Wagyu beef so expensive?

Additionally, wagyu beef is a good source of protein, iron, and vitamins B12 and A. Wagyu beef commands a premium price due to several factors: Genetic Selection: The breeding and selection of wagyu cattle play a crucial role in developing the desired marbling and tenderness.

Can Wagyu beef help you lose weight?

Wagyu beef contains healthy fats that are less likely to be found in other beef or meat types. If you normally eat a lot of fatty red meats, like ribeye or lamb, replacing some of those meals with Wagyu will help you to eat healthier fats that can contribute to weight loss.