Abstract
ABSTRACT The ability of discriminating carcass characteristics of different fat cover scores of heavy carcasses, according to the European (EUS) and Brazilian (BRS) classification systems, was assessed. Fifty-six lambs, weighing between 26.25 and 46.15 kg, of the Santa Ines and crossbred Santa Ines × Dorper genetic groups were evaluated. The level of adiposity was assessed through color photography of the carcasses after refrigeration according to the EUS and BRS. The carcasses were assigned to four groups by cluster analysis according [...]
Highlights
The evaluation of lamb carcasses in Brazil employs grading systems that include the fat score as a criterion of quality and price
In Brazil, the classification of ovine carcasses is carried out according to the standards established by the classification system of carcasses EUROP, European Union (EUS), which classifies the carcasses regarding cold carcass weight (CCW) as heavy when CCW≥13 kg and grades them regarding conformation using photographic standards on a scale from 1 to 6, ranging from poor to superior, respectively (European Union, 1994)
The whole carcasses were photographed for classification, by three trained evaluators, according to the degree of fat cover established by the EUS (1: low, 2: slight, 3: average, 4: high, and 5: very high) (European Union, 1994) and by the Brazil has its own classification system (BRS) (1: lean, 2: slight fat, 3: average fat, 4: uniform fat, and 5: excessive fat) (Brasil, 1990)
Summary
The evaluation of lamb carcasses in Brazil employs grading systems that include the fat score as a criterion of quality and price. The BRS classifies carcasses according to categories common to other systems, such as sex, maturity, and weight, grading them according to fat cover on a scale from 1 to 5, corresponding to lean to very fat, respectively (Brasil, 1990). This system was mainly developed to meet the requirements of animals reared in the tropics, which, due to adaptive evolution and even food scarcity, excessive amounts of fat stored internally, may compromise the homogenicity traits in external fat cover, adjustments are required to address the irregularity found in carcasses obtained in Brazil (Medeiros et al, 2011). Regardless of the system, methods based on scores are efficient for being quick and allowing the carcass to be evaluated in few seconds with no damage to it
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