2008 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) To develop tenderization strategies for beef vastus lateralis muscles. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) Vastus lateralis muscles will be randomly assigned to one of four tenderization treatments. Tenderization treatments will include non-tenderized controls, blade tenderization, injection marination, and a combination of blade tenderization and injection marination. Trained sensory panel will evaluate the effectiveness of different treatments. 3.Progress Report The objective of this project is to develop tenderization strategies for beef tip side steaks. Additionally, this project will identify optimal aging times for beef tip center steaks. An agreement has been reached with a large-scale purveyor to assist in obtaining product for this experiment and in administering treatments using large-scale industry equipment. Additionally, preliminary data is being collected to aid identifying the component traits predominately contributing to the variation in tenderness of tip side steaks. Using this information, the treatments will be finalized. Research progress is monitored with update meetings, email, and progress reports. (NP 101, Component 3, Problem Statement 3A).