Evaluation carcass suspension method (tenderstrech) on meat quality traits of beef cattle

• Grant number: 22/10002-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Luis Artur Loyola Chardulo
• Grantee: Julia Delvage Leonel
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of different carcass suspension methods on the production and quality of beef (zebu and crossbred) using two distinct methodologies: (1) Sensory analysis by consumer panel and (2) Laboratory physicochemical analysis. Twenty cattle belonging to divergent genetic groups will be used: Nellore (n = 10) and Brangus (n = 10). Nellore animals (bulls) will be produced according to system for obtaining standard commercial meats known as "commodities", while Brangus animals (heifers) will follow "premium" standard meat production model. Both systems were established by the property where they will be raised. All animals will be subjected to feedlot respecting the specific production model. During slaughter, carcases will be divided longitudinally into two parts and weighed individually. The half-carcass will be suspended by the conventional method (calcaneus tendon - CT, n=20) or by the tenderstrech suspension method (pelvic bone - PB, n=20). Identified the carcasses will remain in a cold chamber (1ºC) for 48h. After cooling, the carcasses of all animals will be classified using the BeefScore (BS) platform, as follow: Hot and cold carcass weights, physiological maturity by ossification, hump height, ribeye area, backfat thickness, meat color, fat color, marbling score and final pH. After cooling (at deboning), samples of the beef loins - Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle (LTL) of the half carcasses (CT and PB) will be collected for analyses of meat quality: Shear force, color, cooking losses, water-holding capacity, intramuscular fat, sarcomere length, soluble collagen, lipid oxidation and myofibrillar fragmentation index. It is expected that the method of pelvic bone, a model similar to the Australian one (tenderstrech), will improve the meat quality characteristics when compared to the conventional method. For this purpose, the effects on carcass characteristics (weights and yields) and meat will be evaluated, describing physical and chemical variables. The information of the technologies studied in this project may be incorporated by national production systems and industries that can apply the suspension of the carcass by pelvic bone in order to improve the quality of beef Nellore and crossbred cattle (F1 zebu x taurine).

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BALDASSINI, WELDER; COUTINHO, MARCELO; ROVADOSCKI, GREGORI; MENEZES, BRUNA; TAGIARIOLLI, MURILO; TORRECILHAS, JULIANA; LEONEL, JULIA; PEREIRA, GUILHERME; CURI, ROGERIO; MACHADO NETO, OTAVIO; et al. Bos indicus Carcasses Suspended by the Pelvic Bone Require a Shorter Aging Time to Meet Consumer Expectations Regarding Meat Quality. FOODS, v. 12, n. 5, p. 17-pg., 2023-03-01. (18/00981-5, 19/03263-9, 22/10002-0, 19/14572-2)