Factors influencing marbling in beef cattle. A review

Marbling in beef is formed by the intramuscular fat (IMF) content of the muscle tissue, which significantly influences the sensory properties and quality of the meat, including tenderness, juiciness, flavour, and colour. The development of IMF in cattle begins approximately six months after conception and steadily increases throughout the animal’s lifetime. During foetal development and postnatal growth, adipogenesis and lipogenesis are regulated by various factors and genes. Marbling is affected by breed, sex, genetics, heredity, the cow’s nutrition during pregnancy, the feeding of roughages and concentrated energy feeds, their proportions, and the supplementation or deficiency of vitamins A, C, and D. Other influencing factors include castration, early weaning, and these practices combined with high-energy feed strategies. Different management and feeding strategies have been developed to improve IMF accumulation, and combining these approaches can result in significant improvements in IMF deposition. Genetic, management and especially nutritional factors are the primary influences on the IMF content of beef.