Veal and beef meat quality of crossbred calves from dairy herds using sexed semen and semen from double-muscled sires

Figures & data

Table 1. Least squares means of production systems on the performance and meat quality traits of calves obtained by dairy farms using sexed semen to produce purebred replacement heifers and beef semen to produce beef × dairy crossbred calves, and subsequently retained for fattening on the dairy farm (Breeder) or sold to specialised intensive veal and beef fatteners.

	Meat system			Contrast (p-value)		RMSE
	Fattener veal	Fattener beef	Breeder beef	Veal vs. beef	Beef-fatt. vs. beef-breed.
Calves, N	104.00	115.00	12.00	–	–	–
Growth traits
Age at slaughter, d	207.00	476.00	637.00	<0.001	<0.001	32.00
Slaughter weight, kg	308.00	665.00	624.00	<0.001	0.005	44.00
Daily gain, kg/d	1.49	1.40	0.98	<0.001	<0.001	0.13
Carcase traits
Carcase weight, kg	181.00	404.00	347.00	<0.001	<0.001	31.00
Dressing, %	58.97	59.50	54.44	0.017	<0.001	4.16
SEUROP, score	3.58	3.19	2.67	0.008	n.s.	0.64
Meat composition
Dry matter, %	25.20	27.40	27.60	<0.001	n.s.	1.30
Crude protein, %	20.90	22.00	22.00	<0.001	n.s.	0.70
Ether extract, %	2.20	3.46	3.61	<0.001	n.s.	1.23
Ashes, %	1.09	1.10	1.01	0.003	0.001	0.06
Meat quality
pH	5.60	5.55	5.59	0.195	n.s.	0.12
Cholesterol, mg/100 g	59.20	43.70	41.10	<0.001	n.s.	4.30
Haem iron, mg/kg	6.00	16.20	15.50	<0.001	n.s.	2.00
Cooking losses, %	31.70	35.10	33.60	<0.001	0.022	2.10
Shear force, N/cm^2	22.00	28.90	22.20	0.006	0.002	6.50
Meat colour traits
Lightness, L*	47.40	40.40	40.60	<0.001	n.s.	2.40
Redness index, a*	7.80	14.60	14.40	<0.001	n.s.	1.60
Yellowness index, b*	14.00	11.90	12.40	<0.001	n.s.	1.20
Chroma (saturation), C*	16.10	18.80	19.00	<0.001	n.s.	1.70
Hue angle, H*	60.80	39.40	40.60	<0.001	n.s.	3.70

SEUROP score: muscularity score according to European Union (S = superior, score 6.0 to P = poor, score 1.00); RMSE: root mean square error.

Table 2. Least square means of the performance and meat quality of calves obtained by dairy farms using sexed semen to produce purebred replacement heifers and beef semen to produce beef × dairy crossbred calves reared by a specialised veal fattener.

	BB × HF	BB × BS^a	BB × CB^b	DairyC^c
Calves, N	50.00	18.00	24.00	12.00
Growth traits
Age at slaughter, d	214.00	208.00	207.00	198.00
Slaughter weight, kg	307.00	305.00	310.00	308.00
Daily gain, kg/d	1.44	1.46	1.51*	1.54*
Carcase traits
Carcase weight, kg	180.00	183.00	186.00	174.00
Dressing, %	58.41	60.16	61.20**	56.12
SEUROP, score	3.34	3.46	3.93**	3.58
Meat composition
Dry matter, %	25.00	25.30	25.10	25.20
Crude protein, %	20.80	21.00	21.10	20.70
Ether extract, %	2.18	2.31	1.97	2.34
Ashes, %	1.09	1.08	1.10	1.09
Meat quality
pH	5.64	5.59	5.59	5.59
Cholesterol, mg/100 g	58.30	58.70	60.60*	59.00
Haem iron, mg/kg	6.10	6.40	5.50	6.10
Cooking losses, %	31.00	32.30*	31.90	31.60
Shear force, N/cm^2	20.00	21.80	22.20	24.20*
Meat colour traits
Lightness, L*	47.70	46.80	48.50	46.60
Redness index, a*	7.70	8.00	7.40	8.20
Yellowness index, b*	14.00	13.60	14.10	14.20
Chroma (saturation), C*	16.20	15.90	15.90	16.50
Hue angle, H*	61.10	59.80	62.40	60.10

BB: Belgian Blue sire; HF: Holstein-Friesian dam, BS: Brown Swiss dam; CB: dairy crossbred dam.

*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; .

^aAsterisks refer to the contrast between BB × BS and BB × HF.

^bAsterisks refer to the contrast between BB × CB and BB × HF.

^cAsterisks refer to the contrast between other crosses and BB × HF.

Table 3. Least square means of the performance and meat quality of calves obtained by dairy farms using sexed semen to produce purebred replacement heifers, and beef semen to produce beef × dairy crossbred calves in comparison with calves obtained from suckler cows, all reared by a specialized beef fattener.

	Suckler cows		p^a	Dairy cows
	CH × CH	BeefC^b		BB × HF	BB × BS^c	BB × CB^d	DairyC^e
Calves, N	26.00	17.00		47.00	6.00	10.00	9.00
Growth traits
Age at slaughter, d	497.00	476.00*	*	486.00	477.00	466.00	479.00
Slaughter weight, kg	723.00	676.00**	***	641.00	659.00	641.00	632.00
Daily gain, kg/d	1.46	1.47	*	1.32	1.39	1.37	1.31
Carcase traits
Carcase weight, kg	444.00	407.00***	***	389.00	395.00	383.00	388.00
Dressing, %	60.24	59.00	–	59.52	58.81	58.64	60.24
SEUROP, score	3.71	3.16***	**	3.11	3.11	2.97	3.08
Meat composition
Dry matter, %	26.90	26.10	*	27.40	28.30	27.60	27.60
Crude protein, %	22.20	22.00	–	22.10	22.10	22.20	21.70
Ether extract, %	2.73	2.15	***	3.19	4.32*	3.48	4.12
Ashes, %	1.12	1.09	–	1.12	1.07	1.09	1.10
Meat quality
pH	5.53	5.52	***	5.58	5.65	5.59	5.59
Cholesterol, mg/100 g	46.70	42.50**	**	43.20	44.20	42.00	43.80
Haem iron, mg/kg	14.70	17.20***	***	17.10	15.70	15.70*	15.80
Cooking losses, %	36.90	35.30*	*	35.80	32.50***	34.80	35.00
Shear force, N/cm^2	29.70	29.30	–	28.50	26.70	29.00	29.20
Meat colour traits
Lightness, L*	41.30	40.30	–	39.30	41.60*	41.00*	41.50
Redness index, a*	13.90	16.00***	–	14.50	13.80	14.70	14.10
Yellowness index, b*	11.70	12.40	–	11.40	11.90	12.80**	11.90
Chroma (saturation), C*	18.20	20.10***	–	18.50	18.30	19.50	18.50
Hue angle, H*	40.10	38.50	–	38.00	40.30	40.90*	40.20

CH × CH: purebred Charolais calves; BeefC: mixed breed crosses from suckler cows; BB: Belgian Blue sire; HF: Holstein-Friesian dam, BS: Brown Swiss dam; CB: dairy crossbred dam; DairyC: other beef × dairy crossbred calves.

^ap-Value (asterisks) refers to the significance of the orthogonal comparison between young bulls obtained from suckler cows (Charolais purebreds and mixed crosses) vs. crosses obtained from dairy cows in farms using sexed semen for production of purebred dairy replacement heifers and beef semen for crossbreeding of cows exceeding replacement needs.

^bAsterisks refer to the contrast between mixed crossbred calves from suckler cows and purebred Charolais young bulls.

^cAsterisks refer to the contrast between BB × BS and BB × HF.

^dAsterisks refer to the contrast between BB × CB and BB × HF.

^eAsterisks refer to the contrast between the crossbred calves of the previous three columns and other types of crosses, always obtained from dairy cows.

*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001.

Data availability statement

The results and analyses presented in this paper are freely available upon request.