Carcass and meat quality of finished and non-finished Limousin heifers from alpine livestock systems differing in altitudinal origin of the forage

Archives of Animal Nutrition
Isabelle D M GangnatJoel Berard

Abstract

Effects of the alpine origin of the forage and of finishing on carcass and beef quality were quantified by modelling different alpine livestock system alternatives. Thirty-five Limousin heifers, initially weighing 383 ± 45 kg, were fed fresh grass at 400 or 2000 m above sea level, or a 1:1 mixture of alpine grass and lowland grass hay at 2000 m. After 9 weeks, the six heaviest and oldest animals per group were slaughtered. The remaining animals were finished for 8 weeks on a silage-concentrate diet in the lowlands to similar age and body weight as the first slaughtered group. Carcass and meat quality (M. longissimus thoracis) were assessed in various respects. The average daily gains achieved were of about 600 g/d and similar between forage-type groups. Dressing percentage was 53.5% in the alpine and 57.2% in the lowland group. Carcass conformation and fat cover scores did not differ between forage-type groups. The meat from the alpine groups had greater ultimate pH and smaller redness, yellowness and protein contents. Still, these differences were of minor practical relevance. There was no forage-type effect on water-holding capacity and shear force of the meat. The alpine systems enhanced the proportion of α-linolenic acid in...Continue Reading

References

May 12, 2005·Lipids·Florian LeiberMartin Richard Leo Scheeder
Dec 10, 2008·The British Journal of Nutrition·Valentina VastaAlessandro Priolo
Jun 1, 2006·Meat Science·V Vasta, A Priolo
Jan 30, 2014·Plant, Cell & Environment·Andrea Clavijo McCormickSybille B Unsicker
Jun 11, 2015·Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture·Marion GirardGiuseppe Bee

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Citations

May 8, 2020·Animal Science Journal = Nihon Chikusan Gakkaihō·Adebukunola Olufunmilayo LalaJos G M Houdijk

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BETA
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SAS

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