Slaughter weights on animal performance, carcass commercial cuts and meat characteristics of cull cows

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of slaughter weight on animal performance, carcass commercial cuts and meat characteristics of Purunã cows feedlot finished. We used 28 cull cows with 68.02±17.36 months of age slaughtered at different weights (461, 476, 434 and 522 kg). The experimental design was completely randomized with four treatments (slaughter weight) and seven replicates (animals). The dry matter intake, expressed as kg d-1 and % of body weight, presented quadratic variation with increasing slaughter weight, with the highest values observed for slaughter weight of 461 kg. The average daily gain decreased linearly, whereas the absolute weight of forequarter, short ribs, and pistol cut linearly increased by the advance of slaughter weight. In relative terms only the short ribs was changed by increase slaughter weight, increasing linearly. Between the proportions of meat cuts prepared for commercialization, linear increases were observed for the chuck and striploin. Increasing slaughter weight promoted linear increases in the scores of color, marbling and palatability, but did not alter the score of tenderness of the meat. The increase of slaughter weight of cull cows of the Purunã breed reduces animal performance, increasing the losses by trimming fat, with important benefits only for the meat palatability.