Effect of breed on production, carcass traits and meat quality of Aberdeen Angus, Limousin and Aberdeen Angus×Limousin bulls offered a grass silage-grain-based diet

Authors

• Maiju Pesonen MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Animal Production Research
• Markku Honkavaara Finnish Meat Research Institute
• Arto Kalevi Huuskonen MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Animal Production Research

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.6520

Keywords:

beef production, breeds, bulls, carcass characteristics, eating quality, growth

Abstract

The objective of the experiment was to study the performance, carcass traits and meat quality of purebred Aberdeen Angus (Ab) and Limousin (Li) bulls and Ab×Li crossbred bulls offered grass silage-grain-based rations and raised to heavy carcass weights. The experiment included eight bulls in all breed groups. The average slaughter age for all breeds was 540 days and the mean carcass weights for the Ab, Ab×Li and Li bulls were 391, 399 and 439 kg, respectively. Significant breed differences in carcass traits and meat quality were observed. The Limousin bulls tended to achieve a higher conformation score, produced less fat and had a higher percentage of valuable cuts compared with the Aberdeen Angus bulls. The crossbred Ab×Li bulls produced better conformed carcasses and a higher share of the rounds compared to the pure Ab bulls which indicate that this type of crossbreeding can enhance beef production under the studied conditions.