The results will offer innovative tools to improve the Piemontese beef quality

The Piemontese beef is a product whose excellence is worldwide recognized. However, although of high quality, its organoleptic and nutritional properties need to be continuously improved, to satisfy the expectations of consumers asking for healthier and safer food and often disoriented by alarming news on the red meat consumption.

Our group has a long-standing experience in the research on the Piemontese beef, with the general aim of gaining more insights into its chemical, physical and nutritional properties, in relation to the environmental and genetic factors which can affect its quality.

In this research area different themes are currently under investigation:

• new modalities of measuring beef quality traits, possibly transferable on large scale
• development of a protocol for the quali-quantitative analysis of the meat
• in-farm factors able to improve the beef nutraceutical properties
• post-mortem practices for enhancing cull cow beef quality
• identification of genes contributing to genetic variation in beef quality and their potential use to implement the genomic selection in the Piemontese breed
• sustainability of the production process and supply chain.

These studies will provide knowledge to improve the quality of Piemontese beef exploiting the genetic variability naturally existing among animals, and implementing the most appropriate technologies for its valorization.

• QUALIPIEM - Metodi innovativi per la selezione della qualità nella razza Piemontese (CRC)
• INNOVAGEN - Ricerca e INNOVAzione nelle attività di miglioramento GENetico animale mediante tecniche di genetica molecolare per la competitività del sistema zootecnico nazionale (Mipaaf)
• Approcci metodologici per la valorizzazione delle carni della razza Piemontese (CRC)
• Analisi del colore della carne bovina di razza Piemontese: realizzazione di una scala colorimetrica per il controllo di qualità (Ricerca finanziata dall’Università - ex 60%).

• Colombino E.; Biasato I.; Vezzaro G.; Amante E.; Biagini D.; Cavallarin L.; Guerra N.; Pilar G.A.; Mioletti S.; Perona G.; Tarantola M.; Vincenti M.; Guarda F.; Mendez Sanchez A.; Capucchio M.T. (2021). Evaluation of stress-related parameters and intramural coronary arteriosclerosis in Lidia bulls and Piemontese oxen. Italian Journal of Animal Sciences 20, 2002-2011
• Lopez-Pedrouso M., Lorenzo J.M., Di Stasio L., Brugiapaglia A., Franco D. (2021). Quantitative proteomic analysis of beef tenderness of Piemontese young bulls by SWATH-MS. Food Chemistry, 356, 129711. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129711
• Guarda F., Biagini D., Solito F. (2020). Il bue nella storia dell’uomo e nelle tradizioni del Piemonte. Note tecniche, storiche, artistiche e letterarie. L’Artistica Editrice, Savigliano (Italia). 192 pp. ISBN 978-88-7320-440-4.
• Savoia S., Albera A., Brugiapaglia A., Di Stasio L., Ferragina A., Cecchinato A., Bittante G. (2020). Prediction of meat quality traits in the abattoir using portable and hand-held near-infrared spectrometers. Meat Science, 161 doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2019.108017
• Savoia S., Brugiapaglia A., Pauciullo A., Di Stasio L., Schiavon S., Bittante G., Albera A. (2019). Characterisation of beef production systems and their effects on carcass and meat quality traits of Piemontese young bulls. Meat Science, 153, 75-85. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2019.03.010

Università di Padova (Italy)
ANABoraPi (Italy)
La Granda Srl (Italy)
Facultad de Ciencias de la Alimentación - Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos (Argentina)
University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
Centro Tecnológico de la Carne de Galicia (Spain)