From the metabolic mechanisms involved in muscle transformation to the action levers available to professionals to influence meat preservation, the compendium offers a unique overview of beef quality. To make the wealth of information available on meat quality, experts from the Institut de l'Elevage and the industry have worked together to produce a concise, educational compendium of knowledge for professionals upstream and downstream, teachers and anyone interested in the subject. Comprising 4 parts: presentation of processes - technological quality - organoleptic quality - methods, techniques and reference tables, the compendium contains 32 sheets dealing with the various aspects of beef quality, from rearing to distribution. It can be downloaded from the Institut de l'Elevage and Interbev websites.