Abstract
Simple SummaryRecently, there is a growing interest in the genetic improvement of carcass merit in the Korean beef industry. Primal cut yields have been proposed to characterize the meat quality and quantity in beef cattle and are known to be genetically correlated with the carcass merit and premium prices. Hence, knowledge of genetic parameters is required to select the weight of primal cuts that may be used as the selection criteria for designing future breeding programs. This study aimed to estimate the heritability and genetic and phenotypic correlations of primal cut yields and carcass traits in Hanwoo cattle. All traits presented a medium to high heritability, which indicates a probable increase in their response to selection. In addition, moderate to highly favorable genetic correlations were found between the primal cut yields and carcass traits, such as the carcass weight and eye muscle area. Therefore, results suggested inclusion of primal cut traits as a selection objective in Hanwoo breeding programs to meet the growing demand for high quality products.This study was carried out to estimate the variance components, heritability, and genetic correlations between the carcass traits and primal cut yields in Hanwoo cattle. Carcass traits comprising 5622 records included back fat thickness (BFT), carcass weight (CW), eye muscle area (EMA), and marbling score (MS). The 10 primal cut yields from 3467 Hanwoo steers included the tenderloin (TLN), sirloin (SLN), striploin (STLN), chuck (CHK), brisket (BSK), top round (TRD), bottom round (BRD), rib (RB), shank (SK), and flank (FK). In addition, three composite traits were formed by combining primal cut yields as novel traits according to consumer preferences and market price: high-value cuts (HVC), medium-value cuts (MVC), and low-value cuts (LVC). Heritability estimates for the interest of traits were moderate to high, ranging from 0.21 ± 0.04 for CHK to 0.59 ± 0.05 for MS. Except genetic correlations between RB and other primal cut traits, favorable and moderate to high correlations were observed among the yields of primal cut that ranged from 0.38 ± 0.14 (CHK and FK) to 0.93 ± 0.01 (TRD and BRD). Moreover, the estimated genetic correlations of CW and EMA with primal cut yields and three composite traits were positive and moderate to strong, except for BFT, which was negative. These results indicate that genetic progress can be achieved for all traits, and selection to increase the yields of primal cuts can lead to considerable profitability in the Hanwoo beef industry.
Highlights
In recent years, carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle have received great attention, as they determine the profitability of the beef production systems
Estimates of heritability were from moderate to high for the studied traits, which ranged from 0.21 ± 0.04 to 0.59 ± 0.05 (Table 2), representing that gains by direct selection are feasible for the majority of the traits
Heritability estimates for the carcass traits were 0.57 ± 0.05 (BFT), 0.28 ± 0.04 (CW), 0.46 ± 0.05 (EMA), and 0.59 ± 0.05 (MS), being comparable to those obtained in Hanwoo [6,14,15,16,17,18,19,20], Japanese Black [21,22], Simmental [23], Brahman [24], and Nellore cattle [25,26]
Summary
Carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle have received great attention, as they determine the profitability of the beef production systems. Meat quality is a comprehensive term used to describe the consumer acceptance of beef, as they are willing to pay more for higher-quality products [1] In this respect, cattle breeders have paid more attention to increasing the lean meat content and marbling as well as quality grades that are consistent with consumer demands and preferences. In Hanwoo breeding program, important traits, such as the back fat thickness (BFT), carcass weight (CW), eye muscle area (EMA), and marbling score (MS), are commonly included in the selection criteria to increase the quality and quantity of meat [5]. The potential for improving the yield of individual primal cuts without increasing the overall carcass weight using breeding programs has been demonstrated [10]. Selection for the weight of primal cut yields requires knowledge of genetic parameters and their correlations with the carcass traits that are included in the Hanwoo selection index
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