In fact, all three of these companies offer a DNA diagnostic test aimed at sorting cattle based on the likelihood they possess genes for a tough carcass or a tender one. You'll find more specifics in Table 1. Suffice it to say, sorting through them has as much to do with understanding the philosophies of each company as their pricing and customer service.

At MMI, for instance, Sue DeNise, vice president of genomics research, explains the company employed what's termed “a whole-genome discovery process by which both DNA markers and their interaction with one another are documented.” When MMI's sequencing was done in 2001, the result was 700,000 SNPs gleaned from Angus, Limousin, Brahman and some Simmental. For perspective, the BGSP has so far captured about 115,000 SNPs from a line-bred Hereford animal.

That doesn't mean one sequencing project is necessarily better than the other; it just underscores the starkly different approaches organizations can take toward the same goal, be they public or private.

DeNise emphasizes MMI focuses on mapping as much genetic variation as possible. It also strives to tie its findings to phenotypic data. All told, via a business collaboration with Cargill Meat Solutions, MMI has evaluated 6,000 different markers in 4,000 animals and is validating the results in 25,000 head of fed cattle.

The culmination of all this work is something MMI terms a “molecular genetic value” (MGV), which may represent the next frontier of genetic selection (see next month's BEEF for more details). Holm explains, “The MGV incorporates both the size and the direction (positive or negative) of the genotype for each marker. MGVs are reported in the same units as the trait measurement (pounds of shear force, marbling score, etc.).”

DeNise says MGVs can be used to rank animals for their genetic potential at any age with the same accuracy of prediction. And because the MGV is comprised of dozens of markers, mating plans can be developed to maximize the probability of producing progeny with the highest genetic potential possible.

Using marbling as an example, the MMI test accounts for 128 markers. Rather than assign a value to each marker, producers receive a composite value — the MGV — representing the animal's total genetic value for all the markers.

Bovigen provides users of their marbling and tenderness tests with what it calls a “genetic progeny difference” (GPD). It's a numeric value associated with a DNA value for a specific trait, relative to the phenotypic expression accounted for by the DNA.

Somewhat akin to Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) indices, the notion is producers can select based on a value encompassing the three markers and two genes in their tenderness test, for instance, while also seeing the value for each marker contributing to the total.

“As the number of markers increases, the GPD will become far easier to use than keeping track of the number of stars for each marker,” Gunter explains. “The stars will still be important though, because each marker has a different level of effect on tenderness.”

The “stars” refers to Bovigen's genotype reporting: one star denotes an animal possessing one of two possible favorable alleles for the trait; two mean both alleles are favorable.

As for Igenity, it's launched a DNA-profiling product validated on 50,000 head that leverages the convergence of technologies.

“Before, everyone looked at two basic genomic buckets — parentage and diagnostics. With the Igenity profile, we can begin to merge them so, as we confirm parentage, we can also provide information that contributes to an animal's EPD as well as the EPD of its parents. It gives us insight into two generations at the same time,” Bauck explains. “The profile is a panel of tests that tells us about the genetic variation of an animal, its ability to transmit the genes, and the impact of those genes on individual animal production (performance and ability to transmit to progeny). Both favorable and unfavorable, I might add.”