Superior Tenderness TENET®: The Genomic Discovery Transforming American Beef Quality.
SELAH, Wash., Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Callipyge Genetics, LLC, made a genomic discovery in 2018 that identified the genetic basis for the highest level of beef tenderness. Company President Frank Hendrix explains that the discovery of genetic markers and the trademarked product TENET® advance consumer-level beef quality, benefit animal welfare, and enhance the American beef industry’s environmental reputation. TENET® is a win for every level of the cattle and beef industry.
Genetic marker technology identifies and certifies the highest level of beef tenderness; Tenet® is defined on tenetbeef.com. Hendrix uses a system that extracts DNA from a few drops of blood or a small tissue sample to identify Tenet® animals. Once identified, Tenet® animals remain at the highest level of quality throughout their lives. If American Beef tenderness is ranked on a 1 to 10 scale, the national average is 3. Tenet® is 10, which is significantly different, says Hendrix. The Tenet® certification test is highly accurate and a valuable tool for managing every herd. An average herd can raise quality and reach the Tenet® level in two generations because tenderness is highly heritable. Tenderness is a naturally occurring phenotype in every cattle breed. Tenet® AI sires or certified bulls can change quality very quickly. There are Tenet® individual animals in every breed of cattle. Tenderness is an inherited trait, and Hendrix believes that between 5% and 15% of the American herd are currently Tenet®.
The USDA introduced its beef quality grading system in the early 1960s. Since then, cattle and beef have changed, but the grading system remains the same, Hendrix says. Compared with cattle in 1960, today’s cattle have substantially different carcass weights, fat levels, and marbling. The Select, Choice, and Prime grades were developed based on fat, specifically intramuscular fat. We now know that fat and tenderness are not the same: fat is not required for tender beef. In recent research, trained taste panels could not distinguish among Select, Choice, and Prime when identical cuts were cooked the same way. Differences in tenderness can be detected with less than one kilogram of pressure. As Hendrix puts it, “Marbling is what you see. Tenderness is what you taste. Tenet® is what proves it.”
Beef tenderness has been consumers’ top concern in every USDA consumer survey from 1990 through 2022. Consumers are dissatisfied with the tenderness of commercially raised beef 23% of the time. In the 2015 survey, 66% of grass-fed beef consumers were dissatisfied with tenderness. Across all surveys, consumers consistently cite animal welfare, food safety, and environmental concerns.
Tenet® certification addresses tenderness concerns in both grass-finished beef and commercially fed cattle. Tenet® certification has nothing to do with GMOs. Tenet® occurs naturally in all Bos taurus cattle breeds, including Wagyu. It is naturally occurring in all cattle breeds and crossbreds. It ensures tenderness, reduces the need for long feeding periods and ultra-heavy cattle, and cuts thousands of pounds of unnecessary fat and thousands of tons of manure. Tenet® is positive for animal welfare, the environment, and the consumer.
A question Hendrix frequently hears from producers is: “Why should I want to pay $26 for Tenet® testing?” Agricultural economists believe Tenet® certification is worth between $600 and $1,000. The option of a assured tender product with a Warner-Bratzler Shear Force number of ≤4.0 kg is huge, says Hendrix. Tenet® certification means the whole carcass is significantly higher in quality. Certified Tenet® AI sires are available on the website: tenetbeef.com. A growing number of seedstock producers across the nation and in Canada have certified Tenet® bulls for sale in their upcoming sales. Callipyge Genetics has developed Certified Tenet® Beef, LLC, a Tenet®-branded product that will coordinate Tenet®-certified animals with either grass-finished producers or those willing to pay for added quality, with companies marketing nationally and locally. Our goal is to place Tenet®-certified animals in a value-added market to increase producer profitability and consumer urgency for Tenet® quality, says Hendrix. We want the American consumer to have the highest-quality beef in the world; Tenet® makes it happen.
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SOURCE Callipyge Genetics, LLC
