Management systems that enhance carcass yield can increase the efficiency and competitiveness of beef producers, but meat quality should not be negatively affected. Continental or British crossbred steers were finished to either 12 to 13 or 18 to 20 months of age and were either untreated or treated with hormonal implants, ractopamine hydrochloride, or both. Slaughtering steers at 18 to 20 month of age, using British-Continental crossbreeding, and implanting steers reduced meat tenderness but meat yield was greater than that of 12 to 13 month old steers, British-British crossbred steers, and non-implanted steers. Decreased meat tenderness was associated with increased myofibre diameter and reduced collagen solubility. Slaughtering at 18 to 20 months of age, hormonal implants, and ractopamine hydrochloride reduced meat water-holding capacity. Muscle weight appeared to be the best indicator of shear force and it may cumulatively represent complex changes related to age and growth that occur in muscle. / Animal Science
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:AEU.10048/1590 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Girard, Isabelle |
| Contributors | Bruce, Heather. L. (Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science), Kav, Nat (Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science), Dixon, Walter (Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science), Aalhus, Jennifer (Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science), Baracos, Vickie (Oncology) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1785281 bytes, application/pdf |
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