Thanks to Longhorn beef, today's health-concious consumer doesn't have to avoid tender juicy steaks. Not only is Longhorn beef leaner than other breeds, it is lower in saturated fats. Recent studies have shown that yield/grade, reflecting carcass leanness, was a full grade better  for Longhorn cattle than Hereford or Angus cattle.

The Longhorns only had 1/3 as much backfat as Hereford and Angus cattle. Longhorns marble more and faster than other breeds without laying down wasteful backfat. This translates into less feed used for wasted fat, and higher consumer acceptance - a situation where everyone wins. Longhorn beef was also rated higher in flavor, tenderness, and juiciness.

"Muscle fat from Longhorn cattle was less saturated (41.8%) than from British crosses and British cattle due primarily to greater levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids with a smaller increase in monounsaturated fatty acids. Longhorn cattle had less fat in the longissimus muscle and the fat present was unsaturated.
It is unknown the degree to which this difference in fatty acid composition is due to cattle type or to the level of fat present. What can be concluded is that at a similar marbling endpoint, Longhorn cattle had less longissimus muscle fat and it was less saturated. Sensory ratings were similar across cattle types and all groups produced acceptable beef based on rating for sensory traits."