Unlocking bison carcass value through muscle profiling, meat color protein chemistry, and ground bison quality assessment

In 2024, approximately half of all bison meat was marketed as trimmings or ground product. The remaining carcass components are typically fabricated into whole-muscle cuts such as strip loin, top sirloin, tenderloin, or ribeye steaks. These middle meats dominate current retail offerings, leaving most other bison muscles available for grind and potentially underutilized as higher-value steaks. In the 1990s, declining demand and product inconsistency in the beef industry prompted extensive research into muscle-specific traits that drive palatability, consumer satisfaction, and value differentiation. This profiling work identified several undervalued beef muscles that had tenderness, flavor, and color properties comparable to high-value middle meats, ultimately reshaping carcass valuation and marketing strategies. As a result, consumer demand increased, and carcass value was more evenly distributed across muscles. Today, the bison industry faces a parallel opportunity, as a few muscle cuts dominate the market, and the rest of the carcass is utilized for ground bison. Although bison and beef share similarities as large ruminants, differences in their anatomy and physiology may result in distinct tenderness, juiciness, or functional trait. Comprehensive profiling of the physical and biochemical properties of bison muscles could open new market opportunities for undervalued muscles that could perform well as steaks and improve whole-carcass utilization and value. Additionally, color stability is a critical driver of consumer purchasing decisions and is a leading cause of food waste. Ground products are especially sensitive to pigment oxidation and discoloration due to increased surface area and higher exposure to oxygen. As ground bison represents a large proportion of the bison products marketed, understanding how production factors such as finishing system and freezing influence color stability, texture, and sensory attributes is critical for maintaining quality for this critical product segment.