Wagyu is known around the world for its exceptional succulence, buttery, umami flavor, and unparalleled melt-in-your-mouth sensation.
Wagyu beef has incredible health benefits, like actively lowering cholesterol, contributing to fewer strokes and heart attacks, and promoting type 2 diabetes resistance.
The grading of Wagyu varies based on the country and the agency in charge of it. However, the properties that the organizations seek in this type of beef are nearly same, despite the fact that they grade it differently.
The grades of Wagyu are regarded seriously within each system since Wagyu steak is anticipated to be of high quality, appearance, and flavor.
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Australian Wagyu Grading
Meat Standards Australia assigns a grade to Australian Wagyu (MSA). Meat and Livestock Australia regulates MSA (MLA).
Australian Wagyu is currently graded using two different systems. Meat Standards Australia is the most recent system. AUS-MEAT is the most widely used system.
Wagyu is graded by MSA according to the categories listed below. MSA grades range from 100 (no intramuscular fat) to 1190 (extra muscular fat) (extreme amounts of intramuscular fat). This scale works in ten-point increments.
- Marbling
- Meat Color
- Maturity
- Fat Depth
- Carcass Weight
- PH
AUS-MEAT ratings are quite comparable to the Japanese Wagyu grading system’s BMS (Beef Marbling Standard). This system is graded in increments of 1 from 0 (no intramuscular fat) to 9 (extreme levels of intramuscular fat).
The Australian wagyu grading is quite similar to that in Japan. However, instead of reaching a maximum of 12, the Australian system only reaches a maximum of 9.
The ranges of quality scores required to get a quality grade from 1 to 5 are also the same, however only scores of 8 and 9 qualify for the Excellent rating.
In Australia, grade A5 beef is extremely close to the A5 score given to Japanese Wagyu.
There’s More to Yield Grades Than Just Weight
Although the animal’s bulk has an impact, the yield grade validated by the inspection procedure is about more than the animal’s mass. The cow must weigh no more than 499.9kg at slaughter to be labeled “Australian Wagyu”.
Australian Wagyu are known for being compact, stocky animals that are ideally adapted to the confined design of Japan’s agriculture and rice fields, allowing them to turn swiftly in a small space.
Surprisingly, yield classification takes place before the animals are slaughtered and processed. It employs a formula to determine the percentage of meat, fat, and bone in an animal.
As a consequence of the analysis, a figure for the amount of harvestable meat in the carcass is calculated.
Larger animals produce higher-quality meat, but they must stay under the 499.9kg restriction.
As a general rule, Grade C yields a poor standard, Grade B yields a regular standard, and Grade A yields a better quality.
Wagyu Marbling & Marble Score
Wagyu and Kobe beef have their own Australian wagyu grading system, which assesses the meat’s intramuscular fat, often known as “marbling,” in the same way that normal beef follows a standard USDA grading system (choice, prime, select, etc.).
The webbing of creamy white fat that runs through a cut of beef gives it a wonderful tenderness, juiciness, and richness. BMS, or Beef Marble Score, is the name given to this score.
Is Wagyu beef from Australia grass-fed?
Grass-fed cattle and sheep are more common than grain-fed cattle and sheep because it is a less expensive and easier way to feed them.
Grass-fed cattle and sheep account for two-thirds of all cow and sheep meat production.
Wagyu meat can be grass fed, which helps with marbling, but pure bloodline expert farmers will feed their Wagyu cattle a grain-based diet to keep the greatest quality meat.
This aids in the production of uniform marbling in the meat. They are put on this diet for approximately 300 days in order to ensure that the texture is consistent. The most costly meat sold in Australia is Wagyu beef, which sells for $450 per kilogram.
Because the bulk of Australian Wagyu cattle are crossbred, a grass-fed diet won’t have as big of an impact on marbling as it would if the cattle were of pure ancestry.
As a result, the majority of farms that operate with crossbreed Wagyu can modify their diet as long as the quality remains consistent.
The Bottom Line
As mentioned above, Australia is a major producer of Wagyu beef and has developed its own gr Australian wagyu grading system, the AUS-MEAT marbling system.
This rating ranges from 0 (no marbling) to 9+ (very heavy marbling), with 9+ being the highest grade.
The Australian Wagyu grading scale is equal to the Japanese BMS scale. Hence, a Wagyu BMS 5 in Australia is the same as a Wagyu BMS 5 in Japan.
The Australian scale, on the other hand, ends at grade 9, and anything above that (scores 10, 11, and 12) is graded 9+.
Finally, while Australian Wagyu may not meet the same high quality criteria as Japanese Wagyu, it is still a superb cut of beef and the most costly online Australian meat on the market. Australian Wagyu, with its trademark marbling and buttery flavor, is an excellent introduction to premium meats for those who don’t want to spend a fortune on it.
