Carcass characteristics and beef quality of young bulls from three genetic groups

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate carcass parameters, physicochemical characteristics and quality of meat of young bulls. Three genetic groups with 8 Nelore (N), 18 ½ Abeerden Angus ½ Nelore (AN), and 18 ½ Limousin ¼ Abeerden Angus ¼ Nelore (LAN) animals, with ages varying between 7.5 and 11.5 months at the beginning of the experiment, slaughtered after 143 days of confinement, were evaluated. AN animals were heavier at slaughter and showed higher average daily weight gain, higher hot carcass weight and carcass length; LAN animals had higher carcass yield and rib-eye area. LAN animals showed 72% convex carcasses, while 83% of AN and 100% of N carcasses were classified as subconvex. LAN and AN meat showed no significant difference (p>5%) in shear force values, which indicates the possibility of use of 50% of Bos indicus genotypes without loss of meat tenderness. The carcass and meat characteristics of the AN, LAN and N genetic groups comply with market specifications and are adequate for slaughter at 15 months of age, which makes the system for production of young bulls viable.