CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSION I - Pork Quality
Get the most up-to-date information on the changes that are taking place in the pork industry from some of the top experts.  Listen to the current pork quality issues that are impacting the industry.  Explore the value that pork quality has on the packer. Discuss the objectives and design of the National Pork Board Consumer Evaluation Study, as well as the results of this study and the effects on the industry.

10:30 AM - Pork Quality: Eric Dransfield, Biological and Food Sciences Consultant, Wallingford, Connecticut  

11:00 AM - Value of Pork Quality for Packer: Doug Sutton, Assistant Vice President, Smithfield Packing, Smithfield, Virginia 

11:30 AM - Effects of Pork Loin Quality and Enhancement on Consumer Acceptability and Cooking Characteristics of Pork Loin Chops: Steven Moeller, State Swine Extension Specialist, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Rhonda Miller, Professor, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

KEYNOTE: Life Cycle Thinking for Meat and Poultry
Presented by Jonathan Johnson, professor in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas
Sustainability is a popular term being used these days, but what does it mean to the meat industry? How can we gain a realistic perspective on the sustainability of the entire meat chain? Jonathan Johnson will reveal to you the concept of life cycle thinking as it applies to the food products you work with. 

CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSION III - Development of Marbling in Meat Animals
This session will begin by describing the possibility that bovine satellites cells may contribute to the development of marbling. Cell culture studies have indicated that specific fatty acids promote the trans-differentiation of bovine muscle satellite cells to adipocytes, leading this session into a discussion on the characteristics of adipocytes from distinct anatomical depots.  Recent experiments using preadipocytes isolated from intramuscular and subcutaneous fat will be used to highlight challenges and opportunities to selectively increase intramuscular fat deposition.  The final speaker will explore the key roles that muscle lipids play in various quality traits of meat and meat-derived products. These factors include flavor, tenderness and overall acceptability by consumers as well as how intramuscular fat content varies between species, breeds, and muscle types in the same breed.

10:00 am - Bovine Satellite Cells as Precursors of Intramuscular  Adipocytes: Bradley Johnson, Professor, Gordon W. Davis Regent's Chair in Meat Science and Muscle Biology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

10:30 am - Comparison of Intramuscular and Subcutaneous Preadipocytes in Culture: Matt Doumit, Associate Professor, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho

11:00 am - Biochemical Markers of Marbling: Jean-Francois Hocquette, Director, National Institute of Agronomic Research, France

KEYNOTE: Characterization and Control of STEC E. coli in Non-Intact Beef
Presented by John Luchansky, Microbial Food Safety Research Unit (MFSRU) at the Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Wyndmoor, PA

In a rapidly changing economic and technical environment, the industry must maintain its focus on critical food safety issues. John Luchansky will address some of the key microbiological threats affecting meat products. 

CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSION VI - Pre- and Post-Harvest Factors of Beef Quality Come explore these very different aspects that affect beef quality. Leading off this session will be an in-depth look at the relationships between cattle welfare before slaughter and beef quality, exploring areas such as: procurement of animals, pre-slaughter heat stress, transport to the abattoir, holding at the abattoir, putting-up for slaughter, stunning and slaughter. Next will be a discussion on the biology of meat color, exploring the impact of metabolites on beef color and the possible mechanisms by which color can both positively and negatively affected.  The final speaker for this session will examine the interaction of meat packaging and enhancement and their effects on meat palatability and color stability.

10:00 am – Beef Quality and Cattle Welfare - "International Lectureship Award Winner": Neville Gregory, Professor, Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom

10:40 am - Biology of Color Stability: Richard Mancini, Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut, Storrs Mansfield, Connecticut 

11:20 am - Effects of Packaging and Injection Enhancement on Beef Quality: Jeannine Grobbel, Adjunct Assistant Professor and Extension Educator, Michigan State University, Bad Axe, Michigan