Effect of different post-weaning growth paths on long-term weight gain, carcass characteristics and eating quality of beef cattle
N. W. Tomkins A F , G. S. Harper B D , H. L. Bruce C E and R. A. Hunter AA CSIRO Livestock Industries, JM Rendel Laboratory, Ibis Avenue, Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia.
B CSIRO Livestock Industries, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.
C Food Sciences Australia, PO Box 3312, Tingalpa, Qld 4173, Australia.
D Meat & Livestock Australia, PO Box 2363, Fortitude Valley BC, Qld 4006, Australia.
E Current address: Maple Leaf Foods Agresearch, RR 3 Burford, ON NOE 1AO, Canada.
F Corresponding author. Email: nigel.tomkins@csiro.au
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46(12) 1571-1578 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA05227
Submitted: 24 August 2005 Accepted: 5 April 2006 Published: 10 November 2006
Abstract
The effects of post-weaning nutrient restriction on growth, carcass characteristics and beef quality were determined. Belmont Red weaner steers (n = 100) were allocated to an initial slaughter group and 3 treatment groups of 120 days duration: rapid growth, slow growth and weight loss. The average daily gain of the groups were (mean ± s.e.): 0.81 ± 0.02, 0.29 ± 0.02 and –0.22 ± 0.01 kg/day, for the rapid growth, slow growth and weight loss groups, respectively. At the end of the treatment period, rapid growth steers had significantly (P<0.05) heavier carcasses, higher dressing percentages and greater bone mineral contents than those from the weight loss group. Steers from each group were realimented for 192 days at pasture. Average daily gains during this period were 0.39 ± 0.03, 0.52 ± 0.04 and 0.61 ± 0.05 kg/day for the rapid growth, slow growth and weight loss groups, respectively. Ten animals from the rapid growth group were then slaughtered to determine carcass characteristics. The remaining steers were finished at pasture for a further 409 days. During this period there was no significant difference in average daily gain between treatment groups. Steers from the rapid growth group had a significantly greater final weight (531 ± 16.8 kg) compared with weight loss steers (481 ± 14.0 kg). Carcass characteristics, eye muscle area, bone mineral content and objective measures of meat quality for the M. longissimus dorsi and M. semitendinosus did not differ significantly between groups. Shear peak force values for cooked M. longissimus dorsi samples were not significantly different between groups. Clipped meat quality scores for M. longissimus dorsi samples, as assessed by Meat Standards Australia, were not significantly different between treatment groups and indicated consumer acceptability. It was concluded that nutrient restriction in the immediate post-weaning period followed by pasture realimentation did not influence final carcass characteristics or beef quality.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded through the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Cattle and Beef Quality and the authors are particularly grateful to Dr Paul Greenwood for his continued support. The authors would like to thank Frank Dunshea and Danny Suster for the DEXA analysis, and Chris O’Neill, Alan Day, Dean Gibson, Robert Dickinson, Janet Stark, Karina Tane and the staff at Belmont Research Station for assisting in the operation of this experiment. The authors also acknowledge David Hennessy and Drewe Ferguson for their constructive comments on the manuscript.
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