Características de las canales de las razas bovinas asturianas. II Valoración cuantitativa y predicción de la composición tisular de canales en la raza asturiana de la montaña

Abstract

Growth and carcass traits data were collected on 42 steers belonging to three individual performance test groups and slaughtered at 18.9 months mean age. Animals were controlled during I I months (6 months in a testing station and 5 months simulating field conditions). After slaughter, 6 carcass measurements were recorded; a retail product from the 11-12" rib was elaborate, and a complete dissection on the half right carcass as well as on the retail rib was carried out. The dressing percentage was 48.8 and estimates for carcass muscle, bone and fat percentages were respectively, 73.1, 20.1 and 6.7, giving a muscle/bone ratio of 3.6. Phenotypic correlations between liveweight and, carcass weight (0.89), muscle percentage (0.48), bone percentage (-0.45) and fat percentage (-0.25), as well as tissular carcass composition and relative growth for muscle (1.16), bone (0.77) and fat (0.79), figure out a non precocious breed and show the probable interest of producing bulls aging 2-3 years at slaughter. Measures based on the 11-12" rib provides little or no predictive power with respect to carcass composition. The mostvaluable measure for carcass composition (muscle, fat and bone) prediction were the index of compactness, defined as the carcass weigth to carcass length ratio.