Offal components, body fat partition, carcass composition and carcass tissues distribution in Danish Friesian cull cows of different age and body condition

Abstract

Quantification of offal components, carcass composition and partition of major tissues (fat, lean and bone) in cull cows of different age and body condition class is the goal of this study. For this purpose 98 Danish Friesian cull cows were divided according to their chronological age into three groups: “very young” (<3 yrs), “young” (3 to 4.5 yrs) and “mature” (> 4.5 yrs) and three body condition classes: “thin”, “normal” and “fat”. After slaughter offal components including emptied gut were weighed and the carcass was jointed into first, second and third quality cut groups. They were dissected into lean, fatty tissue and bone. “Very young”, “young” and “mature” cows, independent of their condition class showed little variation in their carcass composition, body fat partition between carcass and offals and bone and fat distribution between categories of major cuts (P>0.05). However, “mature” cows had significantly lower percentage of total lean in the first quality cuts and greater percentage in the third quality cuts. Independent of the cow's age, improvement of body condition resulted in a lower percentage of total fat in the carcass but more around the kidneys and intestines. The carcass has less lean and bone and more fat with proportionally less lean and fat occurring in the first quality cuts.