Effect of subcutaneous fat thickness on quality traits of aged beef from Nellore young bulls

• Grant number: 13/07199-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: June 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Telma Teresinha Berchielli
• Grantee: Erick Escobar Dallantonia
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to evaluate the quality of aged beef under two degrees of backfat thickness. Fourteen intact male (Nellore) will be used with approximately 450 kg of body weight and 18 months old. The backfat thickness of animals will be evaluated at the beginning of the experimental period. 14 will be chosen animals with backfat thickness of 0-3 mm and 3-6 mm when they form two groups with the degree of desired finish: animals finished 3-6 mm (seven animals) and animals between 6.1 to 10 mm (seven animals), the animals will be slaughtered. The body weight will be held every 15 days and evaluated the backfat thickness with the help of ultrasound unit. After slaughter the muscle Longissimus will be matured for 1, 7 and 14 days post-mortem. Will be evaluated shear force, cooking losses, the color of the meat and subcutaneous fat, lipid oxidation, the chemical composition, fatty acid profile, myofibrillar fragmentation index and sarcomere length. (AU)