RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CARCASS WEIGHTS, BACKFAT AND LOIN MUSCLE DEPTH IN CULL SOWS

1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 1141-1145 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. N. AZIZ ◽  
W. A. RAE ◽  
R. O. BALL ◽  
J. W. ALLAN

The carcass weight distribution of the cull sow population was evaluated from 104 456 sows slaughtered in Ontario in 1988. Carcass weight, backfat depth and loin muscle depth were evaluated for 797 additional sows, randomly selected at a commercial abattoir. Approximately 85% of sows were between 100 and 200 kg with 4.5% less than 100 kg and 10.5% more than 200 kg carcass weight. The frequency distribution showed backfat depth was most frequently between 15 and 19.9 mm (26.73%) and 20 and 24.9 mm (29.99%). Sow carcasses are extremely diverse, varying 3- to 9-fold in backfat depth and 2- to 3-fold in loin muscle depth within any 25-kg weight class. Key words: Sows, carcass composition, backfat

1984 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 103-103
Author(s):  
A. J. Brown ◽  
B. W. Butler-Hogg ◽  
J. D. Wood

Future improvements in British lamb sales depend on increasing the lean to fat ratio in cuts and joints offered for sale, since numerous surveys have shown an aversion to fat on the part of consumers. This ratio can be changed by manipulating breed and live weight at slaughter, since breeds of large mature size slaughtered at light weights are considerably leaner than those of small mature size slaughtered at heavy weights. However, there are other aspects of carcass value than overall lean and fat content. These include factors such as the proportions of individual joints and their composition. This study was carried out to examine carcass composition and carcass quality changes between 12 and 24 kg cold carcass weight (CCW) in 317 castrated males and 238 females from six pure breeds.


1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Newman ◽  
A. K. W. Tong ◽  
S. D. M. Jones ◽  
G. W. Rahnefeld ◽  
D. R. C. Bailey ◽  
...  

Breed-of-dam and sex-of-calf effects are reported based on observation of 2007 heifer and steer carcasses. The carcasses were derived from Limousin-sired calves born to dams representing 15 F1 and backcross genotypes reared at two locations over a period of 5 yr. The calves represented Hereford × Angus, Charolais × Shorthorn, Simmental × Shorthorn and all backcross combinations involving Charolais or Simmental with Hereford, Angus or Shorthorn. Carcass traits were analyzed on an unadjusted, a constant hot-carcass weight, and a constant rib-fat depth basis. The slaughter criteria dictated that steers were heavier at slaughter than heifers. They also exhibited higher dressing yield, greater longissimus thoracis area, and lower fat depth. Charolais and Simmental breeding was associated with less rib fat depth, greater longissimus thoracis area, a higher proportion of preferred cuts, less dissectible fat, more bone and more lean in the preferred cuts than British beef breeding. Within the European (Charolais and Simmental) and British beef (Hereford, Angus and Shorthorn) breed groups, breed effects were smaller, but for carcass composition traits they were frequently significant. When compared with Simmental, Charolais breeding tended to be associated with less marbling, less rib fat depth, less dissectible fat and more lean in the preferred cuts. Among the British beef breeds, Hereford was associated with the highest proportion of preferred cuts, Shorthorn with the lowest rib fat depth — but the highest dissectible fat — and Angus with the most marbling, the greatest longissimus thoracis area and the lowest bone content. This research has demonstrated that breed effects for carcass composition traits tend to be additive and that a significant effect may be associated with substitution of as little as one-eighth of the breed composition. Key words: Beef cattle, slaughter traits, carcass traits, breed type, crossbred dam, backcross dam


1991 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 633-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Sather ◽  
S. D. M. Jones ◽  
A. K. W. Tong

Data on 42 halothane-sensitive pigs (HSL, nn-genotype), 169 Lacombe pigs (LAC, NN-genotype), 41 crossbred pigs (XBD, Nn-genotype), and 72 Yorkshire pigs (YRK, NN-genotype) representing 145 gilts and 179 castrates, were obtained over the liveweight range from 74.0 to 134.5 kg (average 105 kg) to examine the effect of genotype, gender and slaughter weight on the composition of the four lean cuts (ham, loin, picnic and butt). Gilts had a greater proportion of dissectible lean from lean cuts than castrates (557 ± 2.8 vs. 525 ± 2.6 g kg−1). The HSL pigs had the highest and LAC pigs the lowest commercial dressing percentage, increasing respectively from 85.3 to 86.0% and 79.7 kg to 82.6% as slaughter weight increased from 80 to 130 kg. Corresponding figures for XBD and YRK pigs, were 82.5 to 85.4 and 80.6 to 84.6%, respectively. Dissectible lean from lean cuts from 65-kg carcasses was 606, 525, 536 and 575 g kg−1 for HSL, XBD, LAC and YRK pigs, respectively. Corresponding figures for 85-kg and 105-kg carcasses were 574, 525, 515, and 555 g kg−1 and 542, 525, 494, and 535 g kg−1, respectively from HSL, XBD, LAC and YRK pigs. LAC and YRK pigs, each with exclusively NN-genotypes but differing in composition of lean cuts, maintained their relative differences in composition over the weight range studied. Heterogeneity of slopes for changes in proportion of lean in the lean cuts with increasing weight among the HSL, XBD and LAC pigs implied a genotype × weight interaction that could best by explained by an apparent increase in the dominance of the halothane gene with increasing carcass weight. Key words: Swine, carcass composition, halothane gene, weight, Lacombe, Yorkshire


1981 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. R. Johnson

ABSTRACT1. An anatomical explanation of the observed differences between double-muscled and phenotypically normal cattle was sought by detailed dissection of the sides of six double-muscled Santa Gertrudis steers and six Brangus steers.2. Relative to carcass weight the double-muscled steers had a significantly greater proportion of muscle and a significantly lower proportion of bone and fat than the Brangus steers. Relative to muscle plus bone weight the muscle proportion was greater and the bone proportion lower in the double-muscled steers.3. The musculature of the double-muscled steers exhibited a gradient of hypertrophy: 12 muscles (234g/kg of total muscle weight) were grossly hypertrophied, 56 muscles (565g/kg) were hypertrophied to a lesser degree and 28 muscles (195g/kg) showed either a minor degree of hypertrophy or no hypertrophy.4. The grossly hypertrophied muscles were generally the larger, superficial muscles of the proximal pelvic limb and shoulder area. The muscles showing least hypertrophy were mostly small muscles located in the deeper areas of the carcass, particularly around the spine and in the proximal hindlimb, and in the proximal and distal forelimb.5. Abnormalities of shape in double-muscled cattle may be attributed largely to altered proportions of total muscle and total fat, and to changes in weight distribution within the musculature.


1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 829-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. N. Aziz ◽  
W. A. Rae ◽  
R. O. Ball ◽  
J. W. Allan

Two hundred and four sows were slaughtered in seven weight classes (WCs) from < 99.9-kg to > 225-kg carcass weight in 25-kg increments and 11 fat classes (FCs) from < 9.9-mm to > 55-mm backfat depth in 5-mm increments. Backfat thickness (probe fat) and loin muscle depth (probe lean) were measured on the left side of the carcass between 3rd and 4th last rib 7 cm from midline by electronic probe. The left side was cut into four primals: shoulder, ham, loin and belly. Shoulder, ham and loin were then separated into trimmed commercial cuts to determine commercial yield and then defatted and deboned to determine retail yield, lean yield, fat yield and bone yield. Dressing percentage was lowest for those sows in fat class 1 (77.4%) and highest for those in fat class 11 (83.7%). Percentage of shoulder and ham in the carcass side decreased, while the percentage of the loin and belly increased as WC and FC increased. FC produced significant effect on the percentage of the shoulder, loin and belly, whereas WC had significant influence only on the proportion of the shoulder and belly. There was a significant WC × FC interaction (P < 0.002) upon the percentage of the belly yield. The percentages of commercial yield, retail yield, lean yield and bone yield were reduced, and that of fat yield increased as WC and FC increased, but WC only produced significant effects on the percentage of lean and bone yield. Carcass composition of cull sows was better correlated to backfat thickness than carcass weight, since the increase in carcass weight as live weight increased was primarily fat. Key words: Carcass composition, sows, lean yield


1985 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. PATTERSON ◽  
M. A. PRICE ◽  
R. T. BERG

The effect of three types of diet on the carcass composition of 71 feedlot bulls of three biological types (Dairy Cross (DX), Hereford Cross (HX), and Beef Cross (BX)) was studied over a 2-yr period. Diets consisted of pelleted alfalfa with 0, 35 or 85% grain. Serial slaughter and carcass dissection into eight wholesale cuts and component tissues were carried out over an age range of 392–636 days. Interactions of biological type with diet-year were generally not significant for actual weight of muscle, bone and fat, or for weight of these tissues at a constant side subcutaneous fat weight of 16 kg. There were few significant effects of biological type or diet-year on the ratio of actual weight of subcutaneous to intermusclar plus body cavity fat. HX bulls had significantly less muscle and less bone than BX or DX, based on actual weights, but the rate of tissue accretion relative to side subcutaneous fat was the same for the three biological types. Animals on the lowest level of dietary energy had less weight of fat than did those on an 85% grain diet, but diet-year growth coefficients of tissue weights relative to side subcutaneous fat weight were generally homogeneous. It was concluded that effects of dietary energy were consistent over the biological types studied and for most of the wholesale cuts. Key words: Feedlot bulls, diet, biological types, tissue growth


1979 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM Thompson ◽  
KD Atkins ◽  
AR Gilmour

Half-carcasses of 108 wether and ewe lambs from six genotypes, slaughtered at 34, 44 and 54 kg liveweight, were dissected into subcutaneous fat, intermuscular fat, muscle, bone and connective tissue. The six genotypes were the progeny of Dorset Horn and Border Leicester rams mated to Merino, Corriedale and Border Leicester x Merino first-cross ewes. As carcass weight increased, the proportion of subcutaneous and intermuscular fat increased (b > 1 ; P < 0.05) and the proportion of muscle and bone decreased (b < 1; P < 0.05). Lambs sired by Border Leicester rams had more subcutaneous fat (12.7%), more intermuscular fat (7.6%) and more bone (5.7%) than lambs sired by Dorset Horn rams at the same carcass weight (P< 0.05). Similarly, lambs sired by Dorset Horn rams had more muscle (7.2%) than lambs sired by Border Leicester rams at the same carcass weight (P < 0.05). Breed of dam had no effect on carcass composition. Wether lambs had a greater proportion of bone (5.7%) than ewe lambs at the same carcass weight (P < 0.05). The breed of sire effect and the lack of a breed of dam effect on carcass composition, in conjunction with estimated mature weights for the breeds, suggest possible differences between sire and dam breeds in the partitioning of fat between the carcass and non-carcass depots. ____________________ *Part I, Aust. J. Agric. Res., 30: 1197 (1979).


2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pomar and M. Marcoux

In Canada, actual grading methods based on Destron (DPG) and Hennessy (HGP) probe measurements were approved in 1994. This study was undertaken to verify if both grading methods predict similar lean yields and grading indexes in actual pork carcasses. Data from the following four databases were used, and included hot carcass weight, and backfat and muscle depths as measured by both probes: 1281 carcasses from the 1992 National Cutout, 495 and 76 carcasses from 1997 and 1998 Fédération des Producteurs de Porc du Québec studies respectively, and 266 from a 1999 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada study. Probes were inserted alternatively at the Canadian grading site. Grading indexes were assigned from a 1999 official grid. For the four studied databases, the HGP-DPG lean yields were different from zero (P < 0.0001) with values of 0.33, 0.35, 0.36 and 0.18%, chronologically. The HGP-DPG grading indexes were also different from zero with values of 0.51 (P < 0.0001), 0.36 (P < 0.0001) and 0.50 (P < 0.0001), 0.21 (P < 0.09), respectively. The slope between lean yields and indexes were different from one, indicating that the underestimation of lean yields and indexes by the DPG method increased with carcass leanness. Key words: Pork, Hennessy, Destron, probes, lean yield, prediction


1972 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-237
Author(s):  
C. E. Hinks ◽  
J. H. D. Prescott

SUMMARYTwo experiments concerning the effects, on the carcass and meat characteristics of 18-months-old Friesian steers, of variation in grazing intensity and the level of barley feeding with silage are reported.Groups of 12 steers were grazed at different intensities over 5-month grazing periods, such that live-weight differences of 38 kg and 16 kg were recorded at housing. No compensatory growth was recorded during the subsequent winter feeding period.Whilst the grazing treatments had little effect on carcass or meat quality, higher levels of barley feeding with silage over the winter period (710 v. 410 kg/steer) had significant effects on live-weight gain, and increased carcass weight by 21 kg at slaughter. The higher yield of carcass weight was reflected in significant differences in carcass composition, joint proportions and retail cut-out value. Sixty per cent of the carcass weight difference was removed as trim fat. Differences in carcass fatness were not associated with any differences in eating quality.


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