|Thursday, Apri) 18,1991
State & Local
onot
ir the Board
Scientists study meat trend
fee
ecreational
facility wi
semester is
roved a bill
the facilih,
£ and both I
a building:
rill use the
1 the recre-
mid recon-i
for the pro-
%WS
Marbled fat has better taste,
A&M beef researcher says
By Karen Praslicka
The Battalion
Truesdale
imnist
Texas A&M research scientists
are studying the development of
a breed of cattle that produces
meat with a special flavor and
can sell for up to $183 per pound
on the Japanese market.
Dr. David Lunt, an A&M re
search scientist at the McGregor
Research Center, said A&M has
been studying "marbling" in
cattle for five years.
Marbling clescribes the flecks
of fat in the lean muscle tissue of
beef. Marbled fat is what gives
the meat its taste. The Japanese
prefer meat with marbled fat be
cause of its flavor and juiciness,
which Lunt said cannot be found
in any other beef.
"This is the first time a steak
like this has been produced out
side of Japan anywhere in the
world," Lunt said.
He said there were severe re
strictions on exporting beef to Ja
pan when research began five
years ago. The University, how
ever, was interested onlv in re
searching what controls mar
bling in cattle.
Lunt said after A&M began re
search, the Japanese market lib
eralized, and exportation of beef
to Japan became easier.
Though A&M's primary goal
is still research, a new interest is
to develop a breeding and man
agement system allowing Ameri
can producers to grow beef spe
cifically for the Japanese market,
he said. i.
"It's a large market in terms of
dollars, not in terms of volume,"
he said.
This kind of meat would not
be popular in the United States
because of its high calorie con
tent, Lunt said.
"The choice beef we're used to
eating is only about 8 percent
fat," he said. "This beef is about
22 percent fat."
Each gram of fat has about
nine calories, so a 12-ounce steak
with 22 percent fat would con
tain 674 calories from the fat
alone.
Lunt said the price for regular
choice beef in Japan is between
$8 and $10 per pound. Only top
quality marbled beef sells for
more than $100.
Only 6 or 7 percent of the meat
consumed in Japan is this type of
beef, he said. Marbled beef is
usually consumed by business
men who give it to associates as
gifts or is eaten at business din
ners.
"This is not table beef or beef
you would buy and take home to
fix at your house," Lunt said.
"The Japanese would never do
that because it's just too expensi
ve."
Zennoh, the Japanese agricul
tural trade union, has exported
shipments of marbled beef to
New York for sale for $100 per
pound, Lunt said.
"But we've shown now with
our research that we can pro
duce it here for far less than $100
per pound," he said.
Lunt said A&M is only re
searching and not producing the
beef for commercial use.
"We'll probably be in this area
of research for another decade,"
he said. "We still want to know
what controls marbling and de
velop a production and manage-
IF
^
■ f
Officer gives tips
to prepare for theft
Mark property with I.D., don't leave
backpacks unattended to prevent loss
By Julie Hedderman
The Battalion
■ ■■ -
■
11111
FREDRICK D. JOE/The Battalion
Dr. David Lunt, an A&M researcher at the McGregor Research Center,
shows an example of the steak from one of his special cattle. Lunt says
the fat content of this “marbled” beef creates flavor and juiciness that
can’t be found in other beef. This steak has a price tag of more than $130
in Japan, where it is popular. A&M scientists have been studying marbled
beef for five years, and are researching a new beef production program.
ment system whereby we can
produce meat that doesn't have
quite this much marbling."
Researchers are hoping to de
velop a quality beef between the
$183 per pound quality and
U.S.D. A. choice beet. It could be
produced and sold in large quan
tities, Lunt said.
"Marbled beef is so expensive
there isn't a lot of market poten
tial for it," he said.
There are also political consid
erations, Lunt said. The liberali
zation of the market is not popu
lar with the Japanese cattle
industry.
"This beef also sells because of
See U.S. Beef/Page 12
Texas A&M's University Po
lice Department is warning stu
dents to prepare for an increased
number of thefts on campus as
the semester winds down.
Cpl. Betty LeMay, crime pre
vention specialist at UPD, said
students should be aware that
anyone — students, staff, faculty
or professionals — can be a thief.
Even people who normally are
not thieves sometimes cannot re
sist the temptation of an unat
tended backpack, she said.
"This is the time of year when
thefts increase," she said. "It's
like a last-minute dash to grab
anything they can get their
hands on.
"It's the time of the year when
students need to hang on to their
backpacks," LeMay said. "When
you consider what is inside the
backpack, you're not just losing
the backpack and books and
supplies inside it, you may be
losing your degree."
LeMay said the average mone
tary loss of a backpack is about
$250 to $1,500.
She said students must be
careful with their property.
Some of the places where
backpacks and wallets often are
stolen are the Sterling C. Evans
Library, Kyle Field, DeWare
Fieldhouse, Reed Building and
the MSC Bookstore.
"Don't leave them lying for a
minute by themselves," she
said. "Students should carry
only the minimum amount of
things they have to have. Don't
put anything of value in the
backpack, if at all possible."
For additional protection, Le
May suggested marking prop
erty with a driver's license num
ber or student I.D. number. She
said students should put some
identification on a page they will
remember.
If the student's books are sto
len, they then can be identified
when the thief tries to sell them
back to a bookstore, she said.
LeMay said students appear
more careful and aware this year
than last year. During the 1989-
1990 school year, 205 backpacks
and wallets were stolen. This
year, only 75 have been reported
stolen.
"Awareness helps," she said.
"Students are more informed
about life around them than they
were two years ago."
She said the decline in thefts
results from a total concentration
of education from UPD, the Of
fice of Student Affairs, media
and outside agencies like the
Bryan and College Station police
departments.
: or sure
ispect!
dthat
one.^
?here are the
•ve the God wlit |
m we really
Kingdom
\e record! 1
ility is sin. But
whoever
iin should cast
y to change
> by outlawing
already been
mgedbyh*!
cat how much
Lg that tactic,
.are changed is |
on of the
luate student b
Nit«
Give your Collegiate Life
a Successful Edge.
Win a Macintosh
Computer!
ADVERTISED ITEM POLICY Each of these advertised items is required to be readily available for sale in each Kroger store, except as
specifically noted in this ad. If we do run out of an advertised item, we will offer you your choice of a comparable item, when reflecting
the same savings or a rain check which will entitle you to purchase the advertised price within 30 days. Only one vendor coupon will
be accepted per item. RIGHT TO LIMIT RESERVED COPYRIGHT 1991. THE KROGER CO.
Videq/idea/idieo
T«-
G '9 'Em!
,0
Family Center Video
THE NEW RELEASE HEADQUARTERS
REGISTER TO WIN A 27" G.E. BIG SCREEN T.V. TO BE
GIVEN AWAY SATURDAY, APRIL 20
• NEW RELEASE...$2.99 (M Y ) • VCR RENTAL...$2.00 pay)
>y
You could win a Macintosh computer,
Panasonic or Teac CD player,
or other great prizes!!
Entry forms available at Commons,
Duncan or Sbisa Dining Centers.
Contest begins April 18, 1991
& ends April 29, 1991
Names will be drawn April 30,1991
For more information,
see official rules posted at
Commons, Duncan & Sbisa
Dining Centers.
Contest sponsored by
Department of Food Services &
Washington State Apple Commission.
ALL OTHER MOVIES...994 (*0 • NINTENDOS...99* (™ Y )
• NINTENDO PLAYERS...$2.00 ( f ’ ERDAY )
ep0Al
Return
a
Me\^
release
\n
one
and Re
50^
Day
ceWe
OFF y° ur
Ne\^
Release
• FREE MEMBERSHIP WITH A
STUDENT ID AND A DRIVER S
LICENSE
• FREE POPCORN WITH A
MOVIE RENTAL
HOURS: 9:00 A.M. TO 1:00 A.M. FRIDAY, SATURDAY, / 9:00 A.M. TO 12:00 A.M. SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY
STORE TELEPHONE: 696-2849
LOCATED NEXT TO THE KROGER IN COLLEGE STATION