On the other hand, not many things are as disappointing as cutting into a steak, expecting juices to flow freely from it, and facing the reality that it is tougher than shoe leather. 

"One out of every five beef eating experiences will be less than desirable," said Brad Morgan, assistant professor of animal science at Oklahoma State University. "We have to change that to keep the beef industry alive." 

Many consumers are puzzled by their inability to cook beef in an efficient and desirable manner, according to the National Cattlemenís Beef Association. 

Consumers consider tenderness the single most important component for beef quality today; however, tenderness is a major problem that has plagued the beef industry, according to NCBA. 

NCBA reported that beef sales in past years have been decreasing because of the inconsistency in the beef slaughtered in the United States. 

The organization estimated the beef industry loses approximately $250 million annually. 

With beef tenderness in mind, two OSU professors along with five graduate students made improving tenderness their mission. They found a way to improve beef tenderness by manipulating the feed ration of the cattle prior to harvest. Regents professor Donald Gill and Morgan have developed a feeding strategy that improves beef tenderness. 

Through research trials, Gill and Morgan discovered that feeding high levels of Vitamin D five to seven days prior to harvest greatly improves the tenderness of the beef. 

"Vitamin D works because it essentially accelerates the aging process that naturally tenderizes the beef," Gill said. 

"The problem we have is that the beef is not aged properly and not all beef ages in the same amount of time. The Vitamin D helps increase the uniformity of the beef tenderness and helps to decrease the amount of variation in retail beef." 

The use of Vitamin D looks to be a promising tool for the beef industry to use. The cost of the Vitamin D treatment is around 25 cents, which is minimal to the premiums that could be awarded if the beef is tender. 

"Promoting a ëguaranteed tenderí product can lead to a major premium in many markets," Morgan said. "People are willing to pay more for something they know will be tender." 

OSU currently owns the patent on the Vitamin D research and is looking for potential purchasers for the patent. 

"If the patent is sold to the private sector, research can be done more rapidly," Gill said. "This will help the beef industry and get a tender product to the retail counter in a more timely manner."

"The profit from the patent can also be used to improve the research conducted at OSU," Morgan said. "With the royalties from the patent, we will be able to conduct more research studies and improve our program at OSU. We will also be able to conduct more research on Vitamin D and improve its marketability."

Much work still is needed with the Vitamin D research, Morgan said. 

"One of the problems we are faced with is that when the cattle are consuming such high amounts of Vitamin D, feed intake seems to drop around day five," Morgan said. "We need to be able to keep the cattle on full feed up until slaughter." 

"Another problem we are facing is that harvest dates can vary, and the effects of Vitamin D seem to decrease after day seven," Morgan said. 

"Before we use Vitamin D on a commercial scale, we want to gain (Food and Drug Administration) approval on the treatment," Gill said. "We know that some of the Vitamin D does accumulate in the liver and want to be sure before the liver is marketed that the level of Vitamin D is safe." 

The Vitamin D research has been commercially used in South Africa. OSU owns the rights to the Vitamin D feeding supplement in 10 countries including Mexico and Canada. 

OSU may have embarked on a major breakthrough in the beef industry. The need for tenderness is there and they have answered the call. 

"We must continually work at customer satisfaction in order to keep our share of the market," Gill said. "We all need to work toward more tenderness with less variation." 

So imagine, five years pass, and you and your friends are enjoying dinner. You cut into your steak and are surprised at the tenderness and juiciness. It is then that you realize your steak has been enhanced with Vitamin D and is "guaranteed tender."