Selah, Washington – October 19, 2026 -- Callipyge Genetics, LLC is selling a $26 DNA test that certifies the highest level of beef tenderness. Company President Frank Hendrix says agricultural economists value the TENET® certification at $600 to $1,000 per animal.
Genetic markers identified in 2018 underpin the TENET® certification
Callipyge Genetics identified the genetic basis for top-tier tenderness in a 2018 genomic discovery. The test extracts DNA from a few drops of blood or a small tissue sample. According to Hendrix, a certified animal stays at the highest quality level for life.
On a 1-to-10 tenderness scale, Hendrix puts the U.S. national average at 3 and TENET® at 10. He says an average herd can reach TENET® level in two generations because tenderness is highly heritable. He estimates 5% to 15% of the American herd already qualifies. The company says the trait occurs naturally in every cattle breed, including Wagyu, and that certification has nothing to do with GMOs.
The company defines certified tenderness as a Warner-Bratzler Shear Force value of 4.0 kg or less.
Hendrix challenges the USDA grading system, in place since the early 1960s
Hendrix argues that the Select, Choice and Prime grades rest on intramuscular fat, and that fat and tenderness are different traits. He says carcass weights, fat levels and marbling have changed substantially since the 1960s while the grading system has not.
He cites recent research in which trained taste panels could not distinguish among the three grades when identical cuts were cooked the same way. Tenderness differences can be detected with less than one kilogram of pressure. "Tenet® is what proves it," Hendrix said.
USDA surveys rank tenderness as consumers' top beef concern from 1990 through 2022
Consumers were dissatisfied with the tenderness of commercially raised beef 23% of the time. In the 2015 survey, 66% of grass-fed beef consumers were dissatisfied. Hendrix says certification addresses both grass-finished and commercially fed cattle.
He also claims that certified tenderness reduces the need for long feeding periods and ultra-heavy cattle. In his view, that cuts thousands of pounds of unnecessary fat and thousands of tons of manure.
Certified Tenet Beef, LLC will match certified animals with value-added buyers
Hendrix says producers often ask why they should pay $26 for testing. Certified TENET® AI sires are listed on the company's website. A growing number of seedstock producers in the United States and Canada will offer certified bulls in upcoming sales.
Callipyge Genetics has formed Certified Tenet® Beef, LLC, a branded venture that will connect certified animals with grass-finished producers or others willing to pay for added quality. Companies market the product nationally and locally. Hendrix says the goal is to place certified animals in a value-added market to raise producer profitability.