Wagyu beef has a high concentration of monounsaturated fats, which your body can break down easily. These monounsaturated fatty acids (known as MUFAs) also lower the amount of low-density lipoproteins, or LDLs, in your system.
In addition, Wagyu boasts more monounsaturated fats, making it a healthier choice for heart health. Besides being delightfully flavorful, Wagyu beef has been shown to improve digestion.
Wagyu Has More Essential Fatty Acids
The richly marbled beef also contains more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is believed to have health benefits such as lowered risk of disease and diabetes. The fatty acid profile of your beef isn't just necessary for your health, it's also necessary for flavor.
Essential Fatty Acids
Wagyu beef has a unique fatty acid profile that contributes to its buttery, umami flavor. Those same monounsaturated fatty acids include essential amino acids like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
They are heart-healthy dietary fat because they can lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol while increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. Clinical trials have indicated that highly marbled beef does not increase LDL-cholesterol.
Health Benefits
Monounsaturated Fat, commonly found in olive oil, avocados, and nuts, is considered the healthy type of fatthat contains essential fatty acids and nutrients. In fact, 100% Fullbood Wagyu Beef contains higher concentrations of MUFAs and Oleic Acid (Omega-9 Fatty Acid) than Wild Caught Salmon.
If you've tried Wagyu beef, raw or cooked, you know it's a real luxury to eat. Wagyu is deliciously marbled with fat, tender yet flavorful—and centuries of tradition, generations of cattle breeding, and a whole lot of rules and regulations are in place to keep it that way.
The most celebrated characteristic of Wagyu is the breed's high levels of evenly distributed intramuscular fat, usually referred to as marbling. This is what gives the resulting cooked beef an unctuous richness, a buttery mouthfeel and arguably superior flavour.
Wagyu beef is popular around the world because of its superior eating quality compared with other breeds of cattle. Not only does wagyu beef have higher levels of intra-muscular fat, or marbling, but the meat texture is finer, resulting in a more flavoursome eating experience.
Wagyu beef contains more mono-unsaturated fatty acids per gram than any other foods and 30 per cent more than other beef breeds. Mono-unsaturated fatty acids have potent anti-carcinogenic properties, as well as delivering an anti-inflammatory agent.
To frame it outside of just beef, Wagyu's health benefits are often compared to that of salmon and olive oil. However, Wagyu beef actually has the lowest cholesterol levels of all meats—lower than fish or chicken—and is even suspected to have anti-carcinogenic properties.
Wagyu beef, however, comes from Japan, which is far smaller than the United States. The feedlots in Japan may only hold anywhere between 10 and 100 cattle. This means that the cattle raised for wagyu beef are in far shorter supply, and thus, that contributes to why wagyu beef is so expensive.
Wagyu cooking tips
It is at its juiciest and most tender when the fat is melted throughout the meat, so we recommend cooking it medium rare to medium.
Unlike other breeds of cattle, the Wagyu evenly distributes its stored fat throughout the muscle tissue rather than a consolidated grouping; hence creating a great tasting buttery texture that is easy to digest.
Although Wagyu cattle offer many benefits, this breed is not without its drawbacks, which include slower growth and the tendency of cows to produce insufficient milk for their calves.
Although expensive, authentic wagyu beef is unrivaled in taste, quality, and even livestock treatment. Wagyu beef does contain a higher proportion of fat than other beef varieties, however, the fats present are widely accepted as 'good' fats; omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, as well as other monounsaturated fats.
The reason for Wagyu beef's high-quality marbling is its genetics. The cattle are bred to produce a higher percentage of intramuscular fat (IMF), which makes the meat tender and flavorful. Wagyu cattle are bred to produce more intramuscular fat, which gives the meat its buttery texture and intense flavor.
Wagyu cattle are a special breed of cattle that are known for their intense marbling and amazing flavor. There are many different cuts of Wagyu beef, each with its own unique taste and texture. The most popular cuts come from the rib, loin, and chuck primal cuts.
You may be surprised to learn that in Japan, Wagyu beef is often consumed completely raw. In fact, there are a number of dishes which feature raw beef, including but not limited to sushi, thin sliced to show off the beautiful marbling.
Australian wagyu has a texture that you are more familiar with when it comes to steak. While intensely rich, it is not so rich, you wouldn't eat one as a meal yourself. This is an eating steak. The flavor is deeper and beefier in the same way that all coffee is coffee, but the taste depends on the region and the roast.
This breed of cattle is exceptional because it produces beef with a much higher fat content that's more evenly distributed throughout the muscle fibers, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth texture with a delicate, buttery, slightly umami flavor.
Japanese Wagyu are fed more than five times longer than domestic beef in the United States, and are cared for by farmers who create a low stress, proper environment that benefits all cattle. It is crucial Wagyu cattle are cared for properly; it is a top priority to treat Wagyu as well as they treat us.
Final Words. Japanese Wagyu beef is ultimately the most delicious type of beef in the world. It has a better texture and taste than Australian one. But, Australian Wagyu has its worth as it is about 95% of the original Japanese Wagyu beef.
Kobe beef is considered the most expensive and sought after beef in the world, with single portions often selling for more than $200. In Japan, the cost of Kobe beef starts at about $300 per pound. In the States, it can be $50 per ounce—whereas other non-Kobe Wagyu can be half of that cost.
Wagyu cattle are bred in a specific area, and the limited land available cannot accommodate the large number of cattle that would be needed to lower the cost. This means the supply is limited, and if you're at all familiar with economics 101, you'll know it drives up the price.