Effect of Breed and Gender on Meat Quality of M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum Muscle from Crossbred Beef Bulls and Steers
by
Jamie Cafferky 1,2, Ruth M. Hamill 1, Paul Allen 1, John V. O’Doherty 3
, Andrew Cromie 4 and Torres Sweeney 2,*
Jamie Cafferky 1,2, Ruth M. Hamill 1, Paul Allen 1, John V. O’Doherty 3, Andrew Cromie 4 and Torres Sweeney 2,*
1
Department of Food Quality and Sensory Science, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, 15 Dublin, Ireland
2
School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, 4 Dublin, Ireland
3
School of Agriculture & Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, 4 Dublin, Ireland
4
Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, Shinagh House, Bandon, P72 X050 Co. Cork, Ireland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Foods 2019, 8(5), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8050173
Received: 12 April 2019 / Revised: 16 May 2019 / Accepted: 20 May 2019 / Published: 21 May 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Meat Nutritional, Sensory and Physical Quality Improvement)
The objective of this study was to determine whether sire breed and/or castration had an effect on meat quality of M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle from crossbred bulls and steers and to investigate the relationship amongst the traits examined. Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF), intramuscular fat (IMF)%, cook-loss%, drip-loss%, colour (L*, a*, b*) and ultimate pH (upH) were determined in the LTL muscle from eight beef sire breeds representative of the Irish herd (Aberdeen Angus, Belgian Blue, Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, Parthenaise, Salers and Simmental). The results indicate that IMF%, cook-loss% and drip-loss% were associated with breed (p < 0.05); while WBSF, IMF% and cook-loss% differ between genders (p < 0.05). Steer LTL had a greater IMF% and exhibited reduced WBSF and cook-loss% in comparison to the bull LTL (p < 0.05). This study provides greater insight into how quality traits in beef are influenced by breed and gender and will support the industry to produce beef with consistent eating quality.
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Keywords:
beef quality; castration; breed; shear force; intramuscular fat
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Cafferky, J.; Hamill, R.M.; Allen, P.; O’Doherty, J.V.; Cromie, A.; Sweeney, T. Effect of Breed and Gender on Meat Quality of M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum Muscle from Crossbred Beef Bulls and Steers. Foods 2019, 8, 173.
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