 Like the original Italian Piedmontese , North American Piedmontese cattle are distinguished genetically by the presence of the myostatin allele mutation which causes the breed 's hypertrophic muscle growth , or " double muscling " . Compared with normal breeds of beef cattle , North American Piedmontese cattle are more proficient in converting feed into lean muscle . They also produce a higher percentage of the most desirable cuts of meat . They average 20 % more muscle with less bone and fat . Research indicates that there is less connective tissue within the muscle of " double @-@ muscled " cattle ; this would imply less background toughness and therefore more tender meat . 
