Colour and tenderness of muscles from Holstein-Friesian bulls (19 months) or steers (24 months): effect of carcass suspension

Moloney, Aidan P.; Prendiville, Robert P.; Allen, Paul; O’Sullivan, Maurice G.; Kerry, Joseph P.; Moran, Lara

Colour and tenderness of muscles from Holstein-Friesian bulls (19 months) or steers (24 months): effect of carcass suspension

Files

ICoMST2018Paper2Revised2018.pdf(104.67 KB)

Accepted Version

Date

2018

Authors

Moloney, Aidan P.

Prendiville, Robert P.

Allen, Paul

O’Sullivan, Maurice G.

Kerry, Joseph P.

Moran, Lara

Publisher

Australian Meat Processor Corporation

Abstract

Finishing male Holstein-Friesian (HF) cattle as bulls at 19 months of age can be more profitable than finishing similar animals as the more traditional steers at 24 months of age [1], but there is a perception that beef from such bulls is less tender and darker than beef from the steers. Pelvic suspension of the carcass has been shown to improve tenderness in some muscles [2]. We hypothesized that pelvic suspension would ameliorate any difference in tenderness between the bulls and steers. Our objective therefore was to compare colour and tenderness of selected muscles from bulls and steers of dairy origin and to determine the effect of carcass suspension method on these variables.

Keywords

Carcass suspension , Colour , Tenderness , Holstein-Friesian (HF)

Citation

Moloney, A. P., Prendiville, R. P., Allen, P., O’Sullivan, M. G., Kerry, J. P. and Moran, L. (2018) 'Colour and tenderness of muscles from Holstein-Friesian bulls (19 months) or steers (24 months): effect of carcass suspension', in Proceedings 64th International Congress on Meat Science and Technology, Melbourne, Australia, p. 6070.