Relationships between pre-slaughter rump flatness of Nelore cows and subsequent measures of carcass fatness
Luiz F. M. Pfeifer A C and Paulo M. A. Neves BA Embrapa, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, CEP 76815-800, Porto Velho, RO, Brazil.
B UNIR, Federal University of Rondônia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, CEP 76940-000, Rolim de Moura, RO, Brazil.
C Corresponding author. Email: luiz.pfeifer@embrapa.br
Animal Production Science 59(7) 1382-1386 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN18191
Submitted: 12 March 2018 Accepted: 28 August 2018 Published: 18 September 2018
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the internal angle of the rump (IAR), as a measure of rump fatness, and both the visual degree of finishing (VDF) and the subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) of Nelore cows. In this study, 836 Nelore cows were examined. The IAR of all live cows was measured using a goniometer, and then the VDF of all carcasses was evaluated. Additionally, the SFT of a subset of carcasses (n = 225) was measured. Carcasses were divided into three groups based on the VDF, as follows: Inadequate VDF (I) for carcasses with a degree of finishing of 1 and 2; Adequate VDF (A) for carcasses with a degree of finishing of 3 and 4; and Excessive VDF (E) for carcasses with a degree of finishing of 5. There was a positive linear relationship between VDF and IAR (y = 98.29 + 5.78 × x; R 2 = 0.53; P < 0.001) and between VDF and SFT (y = 0.26 + 0.51× x; R 2 = 0.51; P < 0.001). Cows classified as having an Excessive degree of fatness according to the Inadequate – Adequate – Excessive (IAE) scale had higher IAR and SFT than cows classified as Inadequate or Adequate (P < 0.001). Similarly, cows classified as Adequate had higher IAR and SFT than cows classified as Inadequate (P < 0.001). These results demonstrate that the measure of IAR of a live Nelore cow can provide a good indication of the level of fatness of its carcass.
Additional keywords: beef, cattle, quality, slaughterhouse.
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