ABSTRACT. Although deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) markers have provided useful information on genes with moderate to major effect on carcass and meat quality, early approaches for marker-assisted selection did not have the expected impact on breeding programs. Current DNA sequencing and high-throughput genomic technologies enable the implementation of genomic selection and genome-wide association studies, which offer advantages for the genetic improvement of carcass and meat quality. New insights into gene networks underlying the traits of interest are also possible. This article focuses on main concepts about DNA markers and marker-assisted selection as well as the implications of the novel genomic tools. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.