Influence of sexual condition of feedlot crossbred Angus x Nellore cattle on postmortem proteolysis and tenderness

• Grant number: 18/24624-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Angélica Simone Cravo Pereira
• Grantee: Pollyana Leite Matioli Garbossa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Carcass and beef quality are significantly affected by sexual condition of cattle, however the molecular mechanisms interfering in the proteolysis process are not known, resulting in differences in beef quality. The goal of this study is to increase the knowledge about the influence of sexual condition on beef tenderness of crossbred cattle by evaluating the postmortem proteolysis of the Longissimus muscle. A total of one hundred and fifty Angus x Nellore cattle, sixteen months old at slaughter, were confined and assigned into three sexual conditions (bulls, steers, and heifers). The animals were kept under the same management conditions and diet for 150 days. Subsequently, the cattle were slaughtered and were collected samples of blood for hormonal quantification. The pH of the carcasses was measured 24 h postmortem and during the deboning, loin eye area and subcutaneous fat thickness in the Longissimus muscle, between the 12th and 13th ribs, were performed. Samples of the same muscle were collected and aged at 2 °C for analysis of sarcomere length (two and seven days of aging), color, cooking losses, shear force (two, seven, 14, and 21 days of aging) and sensorial analysis (14 days of aging). For analysis of protein profile, samples of Longissimus muscle were collected during the slaughter and after two and seven days of aging. It is expected that the sexual condition influence the postmortem muscle degradation profile, determining the ideal aging period, and assuming the most applicable sexual condition for production of tender beef, using a shorter aging period. We believe this work will result in a significant impact on Brazilian livestock production, due to the improvement of the quality of beef produced in the country, besides the economy in industrial processes, as a reduction in the aging period. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

GARBOSSA, Pollyana Leite Matioli. Influence of sex class of feedlot crossbred Angus x Nellore cattle on post mortem proteolysis and beef tenderness. 2021. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ/SBD) Pirassununga.