• 150-300 kg carcass weight
• even distribution of fat over carcass, measuring from 3 to 12mm depth over the p8 site (rump)
• no permanent teeth (aged less than average of 2.5 years)
• electrically stimulated within 10mins of slaughter
• muscle pH of less than 5.8 measured after the carcass has been hung overnight in a chiller.
  
  

TenderBuff® provides small farmers with a potentially good income source.

In the Northern Territory mixed grass/legume improved pastures are all capable of producing young buffalo to TenderBuff® specifications during the period February to July. Production of TenderBuff® after July usually needs to progress to floodplain improved pastures as stored moisture is able to produce green feed through until the first rains.

Supplementary or lot feeding systems can be used to ensure animals receive proper nutrition and attain carcass specifications more quickly at any time of year. This constant contact quietens the animals which helps minimise stress at slaughter, and is very important to achieve desired meat quality.
The NT Buffalo Industry Council works closely with Quality Meats Pty Ltd, the biggest supplier of TenderBuff® meats to the public and restaurant trade.

To allow chefs to be more creative with their menu and spread the cost evenly across all dishes, half carcass boneless vacuum packed sets of TenderBuff® are available at a set price per kilo.

A full range of TenderBuff® meat cuts, burgers and sausages are available at Quality Meats Pty Ltd retail outlets at Parap 08-8981 3946, Palmerston 08-8932 1906 and the wholesale outlet at Stuart Park 08-8941 3413

Litchfield Abattoir Pty Ltd, Glendower Road Palmerston is the only abattoir in the Northern Territory that is authorised to process TenderBuff®

When purchasing buffalo meat, consumers should ascertain if they are buying TenderBuff® or a similar standard product to ensure a consistent quality meat.

Healthy Eating

TenderBuff® is the healthy red meat option; it has three important attributes for healthy living

a) it contains about 30% less saturated fats in the lean meat than beef, this helps keep your blood cholesterol down.

b) there are higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the meat which are also beneficial in reducing blood cholesterol.

c) It is a good source of dietary iron

High content of myoglobin pigments in TenderBuff® causes the meat to be slightly darker in colour than comparably aged beef.

Generally speaking, the quality (tenderness) of buffalo meat is indistinguishable from that of cattle of comparable age, condition, sex and the same processing method. Most of the differences lie in the cooking techniques used. These techniques need to be altered for buffalo meat due to its lower fat content; therefore cooking methods need to be refined to reduce moisture losses from the meat. This can be achieved by sealing when cooking at high temperatures, reducing cooking times or temperatures, wet cooking methods or any combination of the above techniques.

Producers who would like to participate in the TenderBuff® quality assurance scheme need to submit a request to the NT Buffalo Industry Council. The request should include how participants will meet the requirements of the scheme, including an independent assessor at the place of slaughter to inspect and classify the carcasses and apply the stamp to identify carcasses that meet the quality assurance scheme.