Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T07:20:32.516Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pregnancy effects on carcass and meat quality attributes of cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. R. Wythes ,
W. R. Shorthose ,
G. Fordyce  and
D. W. Underwood
J. R. Wythes
Affiliation:
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, PO Box 102, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia
W. R. Shorthose
Affiliation:
CSIRO Divison of Food Processing, Meat Research Laboratory, PO Box 12, Cannon Hill, Queensland 4170, Australia
G. Fordyce
Affiliation:
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Swans Lagoon Beef Cattle Research Station, Millaroo, Queensland 4807, Australia
D. W. Underwood
Affiliation:
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, GPO Box 46, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia
Get access

Abstract

The effects of pregnancy status (non-pregnant, early to mid (1 to 5 months) and late (> 6 months)) and month of pregnancy on live weight, carcass weight, dressing proportion, bruising and muscle properties were examined in 237 Shorthorn and Brahman crossbred cows (mean live weight 424 kg, 62% pregnant). The cows were transported 1155 km to an abattoir and given access to food and water until slaughter. Mustering to slaughter periods were 5, 6 or 7 days.

The mean gross hot carcass weights for the 89 non-pregnant, 108 early to mid pregnant and 40 late pregnant cows were 207, 199 and 187 kg (P < 0·05). Their respective dressing proportions were 487, 469 and 443 g/kg (P < 0·05). Among the pregnant cows, carcass weight and dressing proportion decreased by 2·95 kg and 6 g/kg, respectively, for each month of pregnancy (P < 0·05).

Cows in late pregnancy had lower mean initial yield (IY) and peak force (PF) shear values for m.longissimus dorsi (LD) than non-pregnant cows. The late-pregnant cows also had the greatest mean pH 24 h post mortem (pH24) and ultimate pH (pHu) values (P < 0·05). They also had a greater proportion of carcasses with high pHu values than the early to mid-pregnant and non-pregnant cows (0·30 v. 0·157 v. 0·079; (P < 005). Among the pregnant cows, mean pH24 increased by proportionately 0·038 and the proportion of high pH24 carcasses by 0·055 for each month of pregnancy (P < 0·05). Pregnancy status had no significant effect on mean fat depth, bruise score, PF-IY value or cooking loss.

Keywords

carcass yieldcowsmeat qualitypregnancy
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 51 , Issue 3 , December 1990 , pp. 461 - 468
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anderson, B. and Horder, J. C. 1979. The Australian carcass bruise scoring system. Queensland Agricultural Journal 105: 281–287.Google Scholar
Bond, J., Berry, B. W., Cross, H. R., Dinius, D. A. and Oltjen, R. R. 1986. Growth and carcass traits of open beef heifers versus beef heifers that have calved. Nutrition Reports International 34: 621–633.Google Scholar
Bouton, P. E., Carroll, F. D., Fisher, A. L., Harris, P. V. and Shorthose, W. R. 1973a. Effect of altering ultimate pH on beef tenderness. Journal of Food Science 38: 816–820.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bouton, P. E., Carroll, F. D., Harris, P. V. and Shorthose, W. R. 1973b. Influence of pH and fiber contraction state upon factors affecting the tenderness of bovine muscle. Journal of Food Science 38: 404–407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bouton, P. E., Ford, A. L., Harris, P. V., Shorthose, W. R., Ratcliff, D. and Morgan, J. H. L. 1978. Influence of animal age on the tenderness of beef muscle differences. Meat Science 2: 301–311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bouton, P. E., Harris, P. V. and Shorthose, W. R. 1975. Changes in shear parameters of meat associated with structural changes produced by aging, cooking and myofibrillar contraction. Journal of Food Science 40: 1122–1126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bouton, P. E., Harris, P. V., Shorthose, W. R. and Saul, G. R. 1982. A comparison of the meat properties of pasture-fed steers, heifers, pregnant heifers and spayed heifers. Meat Science 6: 301–308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Drennan, M. J., Nicoll, G. B. and Caffey, P. J. 1983. Effects of level of barley, trenbolone acetate and duration of feeding on beef production from cull cows fed silage. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 22: 79–94.Google Scholar
Fabiansson, S., Erichsen, I., Reutersward, A. L. and Malmfors, G. 1984. The incidence of dark cutting beef in Sweden. Meat Science 10: 21–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graham, W. C. and Price, M. A. 1982. Feedlot performance and carcass composition of cull cows of different ages. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 62: 845–854.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, P. V. 1988. Meat tenderness. Proceedings of the 34th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, Brisbane, Australia, pp. 169–172.Google Scholar
Harvey, W. R. 1977. User's guide for LSML76, Mixed Model Least-Squares and Maximum Likelihood Computer Program. Ohio State University, Columbus.Google Scholar
Howard, A. and Lawrie, R. A. 1956. Studies on beef quality. III. Influence of various preslaughter treatments on weight losses and eating quality of beef carcasses. CSIRO (Australia) Division of Food Preservation and Transport, Technical Paper No. 2.Google Scholar
Kenny, F. J. and Tarrant, P. V. 1988. The effect of oestrus behaviour on muscle glycogen concentrations and dark-cutting in beef heifers. Meat Science 22: 21–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ladds, P. W., Summers, P. M. and Humphrey, J. D. 1975. Pregnancy in slaughtered cows in north-eastern Australia. Australian Veterinary Journal 51: 472–477.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKeith, F. K., Smith, G. C, Savell, J. W., Dutson, T. R., Carpenter, Z. L. and Hammons, D. R. 1980. Electrical stimulation of mature cow carcasses. Journal of Animal Science 50: 694–698.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Munns, W. O. and Burrell, D. E. 1966. The incidence of dark-cutting beef. Food Technology 20: 95–97.Google Scholar
Saul, G. R., Baud, S. R., McDonald, J. W., McRae, C. and Clark, A. J. 1982. A comparison of the growth rate and carcass characteristics of steers and heifers when entire, spayed, pregnant or fitted with an intravaginal device. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 22: 258–263.Google Scholar
Schake, L. M. and Riggs, J. K. 1972. Body weight changes of mature beef cows. Journal of Animal Science 34: 491–496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarrant, P. V. 1981. The occurrence, cause and economic consequences of dark-cutting in beef — a survey of current information. Current Topics in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science 10: 3–59.Google Scholar
Tuma, H. J., Hendrickson, R. L., Stephens, D. F. and Moore, R. 1962. Influence of marbling and animal age on factors associated with beef quality. Journal of Animal Science 21: 848–851.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tyler, R., Taylor, D. J., Cheffins, R. C. and Rickard, M. W. 1982. Bruising and muscle pH in zebu crossbred and British breed cattle. Veterinary Journal 110: 444–445.Google ScholarPubMed
Walker, C. E., Flack, D. E.Bennett, B. W., Cravens, R. L., Birkelo, C. P. and Stanton, T. L. 1985. Pregnancy effects on feed intake, gain and feed efficiency of finishing heifers. Journal of Animal Science 61: Suppl. 1. p. 197.Google Scholar
Warnock, J. P., Caple, I. W., Halpin, C. G. and McQueen, C. S. 1978. Metabolic changes associated with the ‘downer’ condition in dairy cattle at abattoirs. Australian Veterinary Journal 54: 566–569.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wood, S. J. and Wythes, J. R. 1988. Effect of spaying, pregnancy and lactation on bruising of cull cows. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 16: 486.Google Scholar
Wooten, R. A.Roubicek, C. B., Marchello, J. A., Dryden, F. D. and Swingle, R. S.Realimination of cull range cows. 2. Changes in carcass traits. Journal of Animal Science 48: 823–830.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wythes, J. R., Arthur, R. J., Dodt, R. M. and Shorthose, W. R. 1988. Cattle handling at abattoirs. II. The effects of rest in transit and duration of the resting period before slaughter on carcass weight, bruising and muscle properties. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 39: 97–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wythes, J. R., Arthur, R. J., Thompson, P. J. M., Williams, G. E. and Bond, J. H. 1981. Effect of transporting cows various distances on liveweight, carcase traits and muscle pH. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 21: 557–561.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wythes, J. R., Gannon, R. G. and Horder, J. C. 1979. Bruising and muscle pH with mixing groups of cattle pre-transport. Veterinary Record 104: 71–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wythes, J. R., Shorthose, W. R., Dodt, R. M. and Dickinson, R. F. 1989. Carcass and meat quality of Bos indicus × Bos taunts and Bos taurus cattle in northern Australia. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 29: 757–763.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yeates, N. T. M. 1952. The quantitative definition of cattle carcasses. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 3: 68–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yeh, E., Anderson, B. A., Jones, P. N. and Shaw, F. D. 1978. Bruising in cattle transported over long distances. Veterinary Record 103: 117–119.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed