041132 "DNA Certified" Angus Beef

Austin, TX - ViaGen Inc., a global provider of high quality livestock genetics, and Premium Gold Angus Beef, Inc. (PGAB), one of the country's largest and oldest branded Angus beef companies, signed an international agreement today to begin DNA testing its beef to verify its genetic relationship with registered Angus cattle.

While Angus beef is widely regarded as the gold standard for taste, the Angus content of much of the beef sold as Angus cannot be guaranteed, given that breed composition is usually estimated by coat color and confirmation.

ViaGen and PGAB, which last year had $150 million in sales, are setting a new standard for consumers by subjecting PGAB beef to ViaGen's AnguSure DNA verification process. PGAB is providing ViaGen with hair samples taken from live animals and with meat samples from carcasses before sale. AnguSure utilizes ViaGen's patented genetic breed identification technology and can quantify the amount of Angus genetics in any cattle DNA sample. The test measures the amount of genetic similarity between the animal sampled and the top 152 registered Angus bulls by number of calves sired in the last decade.

ViaGen will also test the samples with its Inducator test to identify Brahman genetics. Brahman influence is often associated with an increase in toughness and decrease in consumer acceptance.

"ViaGen has brought beef genomics to the point where both producers and consumers can now easily enjoy the benefits of DNA-certified breed verification," said Sara Davis, President of ViaGen. "PGAB already consistently provides beef of the highest quality.

We're excited our technology will confirm PGAB's commitment to excellence in a way the consumer can see on every label. Genetic monitoring and assurance programs give PGAB a way to increase its market by taking quality assurance to a level previously unknown in the meat industry."

"We want to give consumers confidence that when they buy Angus, they get Angus," said long-time Angus breeder and PGAB founder Dwight Hartley. "Our partnership with ViaGen, coupled with our highly selective breeding and buying programs will leave no doubt that when you purchase PGAB, you're getting the only beef available genetically certified to be delicious."

The AnguSure and Inducator tests were released earlier this year, following an initial study of branded beef. Since that time, ViaGen sampled additional retail branded and unbranded beef in Central Texas. Variation in the amount of Angus and Brahman genetics varied across sampling time and across brands. While no single brand had 100% pass rate across time, the pass rate within each individual time period ranged from 50- 100%. Overall, the pass rate of the five Angus brands ranged from 63-83%.

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