Abstract
The aim of the study was to compare slaughter value, collagen profile, shear force and sensory quality of muscles originating from carcasses of heifers and single-calf cows of Polish Holstein-Friesian x Limousine crossbreds. Eight heifers (540 days old) and eight single-calf cows (836 days old), which were produced in a semi-intensive system, were included in the study. Single-calf cows were heavier than the heifers, which had higher dressing percentages and average daily gains. Calving and age at slaughter did not influence cooking loss of semimembranosus (SEM) and infraspinatus (INF) muscles or the shear force of SEM. The ventral part of the INF muscle from single-calf cows exhibited higher shear force values. In both muscles, higher water-soluble and lower acid-soluble collagen contents were noted in heifers compared with single-calf cows. There were no differences in sensory quality of SEM obtained from the carcasses of single-calf cows and heifers, whereas cross-section appearance, tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability of INF were scored higher for single-calf cows than for heifers. Thus, it can be concluded that heifers and single-calf cows produce meat with similar eating quality.Keywords: Beef, crossbreds, connective tissue, meat, sensory quality
Highlights
Beef producers crossbreed dairy cows with beef bulls to obtain progeny characterized by higher fattening ability and slaughter, and meat characterized by better eating quality than that obtained from dairy cattle (Nogalski & Kijak, 2001). Hoving-Bolink et al (1999) suggested that heifers produced by mating dairy cows to beef bulls could be used as single-calf cows in order to increase the market share of highquality beef
Taking into consideration the benefits of the single-calf system, the changes in tenderness owing to animal age, and the possible effect of gestation on carcass value and meat quality, the aim of the present study was to investigate the differences in collagen solubility, shear force and eating quality of two bovine muscles, SEM and INF, between young heifers and single-calf cows
The lower dressing percentage of singlecalf cows compared with heifers might be caused by their higher age at slaughter, and higher weight of gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts
Summary
Beef producers crossbreed dairy cows with beef bulls to obtain progeny characterized by higher fattening ability and slaughter, and meat characterized by better eating quality than that obtained from dairy cattle (Nogalski & Kijak, 2001). Hoving-Bolink et al (1999) suggested that heifers produced by mating dairy cows to beef bulls could be used as single-calf cows in order to increase the market share of highquality beef. Hoving-Bolink et al (1999) suggested that heifers produced by mating dairy cows to beef bulls could be used as single-calf cows in order to increase the market share of highquality beef. The calves, as the progeny of single-calf cows, are valuable and suitable for fattening. It has great significance because in dairy herds, which are the natural environment for raising calves for fattening, the period during which cows are used is decreasing along with the number of emerging. The beef production system that combines reproduction and finishing of single-calf cows decreases maintenance energy per unit beef production and is more profitable than the traditional cow-calf production system (Zembayashi, 2001)
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