How might marbling begin?

Abstract

Marbling is an important meat quality trait, in that it contributes directly to the value of beef on international markets. The development of marbling is not well understood, though there have been some significant recent discoveries regarding adipogenesis in general. This article describes a working hypothesis around the early events of marbling. It attempts to rationalise findings from several mammalian experimental systems on hyperplastic growth of adipocyte precursor cells.