Which statement best describes carcass yield?

• A. Yield is the proportion of saleable meat in a carcass.
• B. Yield is marbling quality.
• C. Yield is tenderness.
• D. Yield is color.

Answer: (A)

Carcass yield measures how much of the carcass becomes saleable meat, usually expressed as dressing percentage. It focuses on quantity—the amount of edible tissue obtained from the carcass—rather than the quality traits of the meat. The statement that best describes yield is that it is the proportion of saleable meat in a carcass. Marbling quality, tenderness, and color describe different aspects of meat quality: marbling is intramuscular fat affecting flavor and juiciness, tenderness relates to the muscle’s texture, and color reflects pigment content. Dressing percentage or yield is influenced by how much of the live animal ends up as carcass and how much of that carcass is trimmed to become saleable meat, reinforcing that yield is about quantity rather than these quality characteristics.