The Japanese Wagyu beef industry: current situation and future prospects — A review

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences

Takafumi Gotoh¹  Hideyuki Mannen²  Takanori Nishimura³  Keigo Kuchida⁴ 

[1] Department of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, 890-0065, Japan;Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan;Muscle Biology and Meat Science laboratory, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan;Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan;

关键词: Beef;    Japanese Black;    Wagyu;    Marbling;    Quality;    Fatty Acid Composition;   

DOI  :  10.5713/ajas.18.0333

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In Japan, Wagyu cattle include four Japanese breeds; Black, Brown, Shorthorn, and Polled. Today, the renowned brand name Wagyu includes not only cattle produced in Japan, but also cattle produced in countries such as Australia and the United States. In recent years, the intramuscular fat percentage in beef (longissimus muscle) from Japanese Black cattle has increased to be greater than 30%. The Japanese Black breed is genetically predisposed to producing carcass lipids containing higher concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids than other breeds. However, there are numerous problems with the management of this breed including high production costs, disposal of untreated excrement, the requirement for imported feed, and food security risks resulting from various viral diseases introduced by imported feed. The feeding system needs to shift to one that is more efficient, and improves management for farmers, food security for consumers, and the health environment for residents of Japan. Currently, we are developing a metabolic programming and an information and communications technology (ICT, or Interne of Things) management system for Wagyu beef production as future systems. If successful, we will produce safe, high-quality Wagyu beef using domestic pasture resources while solving the problems of how to utilize increasing areas of abandoned agricultural land and to make use of the plant-based feed resources in Japan’s mountainous areas.

【 授权许可】

Unknown