Markus Miller receives the 2012 American Society of Animal Science Meats Research Award

July 16, 2012 – Markus Miller, professor in meat science and muscle biology at Texas Tech University, will receive the 2012 American Society of Animal Science Meats Research Award. Miller will be honored at the society’s annual meeting in Phoenix, AZ.

Miller’s research focuses on improving meat quality and safety. His early research aimed to test the use of organic acids as a way to stop microorganism growth on beef and pork products. Miller was part of the team that developed Healthy Choice ground beef for ConAgra foods, and he was also part of the team who first investigated the chemical dehairing of beef and pork hides.

Miller’s research has helped beef producers and retailers tailor their products to consumer needs. His research was the one of the first studies to determine that consumers find beef flavor to be equal to beef tenderness in importance and that beef from the United States is superior to other beef products from Australia primarily due to the differences in beef flavor.

Miller has also investigated the effects of growth implants and feed additives on beef quality and cutability. He has investigated the impact of beta-agonist on carcass and meat characteristics as well as muscle and fat cell development. This work ensures that the beef served to consumers is of the highest quality and that these agents will not negatively impact the consumer acceptability of beef.

The American Society of Animal Science Meats Research Award is given to animal scientists who have contributed excellent basic or applied research in meat science. The 2012 award was sponsored by Elanco Animal Health.

Media contact:

Madeline McCurry-Schmidt
American Society of Animal Science Communications
MadelineMS@asas.org