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IGENITY® for beef

bull cow steer

IGENITY® — Carcass Traits

The IGENITY profile includes information on carcass traits such as marbling, quality grade, yield grade, fat thickness, and ribeye area.

IGENITY results report the scores (1-10) obtained from analysis of multiple markers in genes related to carcass composition.

This analysis associates the genotype result with the magnitude, or size, of the trait identified. For example:

IGENITY Score Fat thickness IGENITY Score Quality grade
1 Less external fat 1 Less % choice or better
5 Intermediate external fat 5 Intermediate % choice or better
10 More external fat 10 Highest % choice or better

Carcass trait analyses from IGENITY

The DNA markers in the IGENITY profile are discovered at universities or by the USDA, and licensed for use by IGENITY. The markers are then analyzed in a minimum of four separate commercial populations with different environments, and breeds and using multiple statistical models. The population sizes range from 800 to 6,000 head, totaling more than 11,000 animals. Markers must have a similar, significant effect in all four populations in order to be launched as analysis from IGENITY. Additionally, we have confirmed the effects of the IGENITY profile in a population of 50,000 head of cattle.

IGENITY also provides p-values for each trait. P-values are the probabilities that the associations between the markers and the trait(s) are purely due to chance alone. Therefore, smaller numbers indicate stronger evidence supporting the fact that the markers indeed affect the trait. P-values for analyses from IGENITY range from P < .01-3 to P < .07-11, which are extremely significant. P-values, in combination with the population size and diversity, are one of the best ways to determine how predictive marker results are from IGENITY and other companies.

IGENITY Result USDA Marbling Score % Choice Based on Quality Grade Yield Grade Back Fat Thick-ness in Inches Ribeye Area in Square Inches
10 161.4 139 1.35 .37 2.56
9 141.3 120 1.21 .32 2.22
8 123.6 105 1.07 .28 1.93
7 106.4 90 0.92 .24 1.64
6 88.4 76 0.76 .21 1.35
5 70.6 60 0.61 .17 1.07
4 53.3 45 0.46 .13 0.80
3 35.5 30 0.31 .09 0.53
2 17.7 15 0.15 .06 .24
1 0 0 0 0 0
P=value 1.1x10-05 1.5x10-05 3.0x10-12 7.1x10-13 7.3x10-05

*Data on file at Merial. Results expressed represent differences expected in animals compared to contemporaries with IGENTIY Profile scores of 1.


Have more questions?
Let an expert give you the inside information — igenity.support@merial.com.

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