The effect of carcase conformation and fat cover scores (EUROP system) on the quality of meat from young bulls

Figures & data

Table 1. The influence of the class of conformation and fatness on the qualitative characteristics of young bulls’ carcases.

Trait	Conformation class (Cc)			Fat class (Fc)			SE	p value
	U	R	O	1	2	3		Cc	Fc	CcxFc
Number of carcases	31	119	46	35	95	66
Age at slaughter, days	577.700^A	563.200^A	528.000^B	521.500^A	549.000^A	586.900^B	4.995	.002	.000	.131
Hot carcase weight, kg	326.000^A	288.900^B	260.900^C	271.500^A	280.800^A	307.200^B	3.128	.000	.000	.138
^cPercentage of 5 most valuable primal cuts in the half-carcase, %	62.280	62.570	62.770	63.040^A	62.850^A	61.930^B	0.110	.373	.000	.211
3-rib section, %
Fat	22.060^a	22.170^a	23.980^b	15.800^A	20.660^B	29.270^C	0.589	.022	.000	.518
Muscles	53.870^A	52.420^A	49.860^B	56.670^A	53.300^B	48.090^C	0.428	.003	.000	.692
Bones	19.680^a	20.430^a	21.260^b	22.660^A	21.080^A	17.920^B	0.233	.031	.000	.198
Tendons	4.390	4.980	4.900	4.870	4.970	4.720	0.119	.208	.655	.762

^c shoulder, fore ribs, best ribs, sirloin, round; A,B < 0.01; a,b < 0.05.

Table 2. Features of meat quality depending on the conformation and fatness class of carcases.

Trait	Conformation class (Cc)			Fat class (Fc)			SE	p value
	U	R	O	1	2	3		Cc	Fc	CcxFc
pH48	5.560	5.530	5.540	5.580	5.570	5.500	0.020	.150	.186	.474
Dry matter, %	25.450	25.950	26.350	25.370^A	25.240^A	26.740^B	0.183	.345	.000	.876
Fat, %	1.810	2.260	2.660	1.620^A	1.910^A	2.640^B	0.199	.465	.000	.941
Ash, %	1.090	1.070	1.060	1.070	1.080	1.100	0.004	.110	.022	.965
Total protein, %	22.110	21.950	21.540	22.160	21.950	21.800	0.070	.143	.243	.061
WBSF [N]	45.200^a	44.600^a	38.900^b	45.750^a	44.040^ab	43.160^b	1.595	.047	.048	.029
L	34.490	35.720	36.550	34.780	36.130	35.290	0.341	.189	.350	.265
a	18.020	18.850	18.880	19.640	17.950	19.160	0.300	.548	.082	.789
b	13.190	14.530	14.490	13.690	14.590	14.090	0.451	.509	.789	.702
C	22.330	23.800	23.800	23.940	23.130	23.790	0.359	.365	.395	.732
Drip losses, %	1.880^a	2.170^ab	2.330^b	2.290	2.160	2.080	0.151	.034	.904	.097
Cooking losses, %	32.640	33.840	33.930	34.770^a	33.670^b	32.440^c	0.361	.412	.019	.132
Aroma	4.140	4.420	4.650	3.990	4.160	4.560	0.085	.151	.121	.242
Tenderness	3.520^a	3.690^a	4.350^b	3.190^a	3.760^ab	4.120^b	0.078	.013	.024	.308
Juiciness	3.850^a	4.000^ab	4.300^b	3.940	4.050	4.160	0.052	.043	.089	.893
Taste	4.500	4.630	4.800	4.250	4.400	4.460	0.046	.165	.134	.356

WBSF: Warner–Bratzler shear force; L: lightness, a: redness, b: yellowness; C: chroma; within Cc and Fc A,B < 0.01; a,b < 0.05.