Breed and ageing extent on carcass and meat quality of beef from adult steers (oxen)

Abstract

In Spain, there is increasing demand, mainly by restaurants and specialty markets, for beef from adult steers (oxen). Therefore, this study assessed the quality of meat from three breeds which show large differences in meat production, but were reared under the same production system and slaughtered at 42 months of age. The breeds evaluated include a specialized meat breed, Limousine (LIM), a dual-purpose breed, Brown Swiss (BS), and a local breed, Asturiana de los Valles (AV). Effect of ageing extent (14 vs. 28 days) was also evaluated. LIM showed the highest dressing percentage and best conformation score while AV oxen provided the lowest carcass weights. BS and LIM adult steers produced fatter carcasses and BS animals had the highest intramuscular fat content. With the exception of juiciness, which had slightly higher values in BS, breed had little effect on sensory parameters. Shear force values were slightly lower in meat aged for 28 days than in meat aged for 14 days. Regarding sensory parameters, ageing extent beyond 14 days just influenced odour intensity which had higher values in meat aged for 28 days.

Introduction

The changes in the world meat markets over the past decade and the improvement in the educational and economical conditions of most consumers have increased the demands in meat they consume. As a consequence, consumers are searching for meat that has characteristics that differ from the most commonly consumed meat. Today, consumers are better informed and more concerned about production systems and the environment and animal welfare requirements (Andersen et al., 2005). Given those developments, beef production using adult castrated male animals (oxen) might provide an interesting and profitable alternative. Historically, oxen were used for draught power; today, however, the only objective of adult steer production is to provide high quality meat that can be differentiated from other types of beef. Recently, in several developed countries, oxen meat has become an appreciated product that is sold at high prices in specialty markets and restaurants.

The use of adult steers for beef production might be profitable in mountainous areas of Europe, such as those that exist in north-western Spain. In those areas, the use of pasture and a diet supplemented with dried forages and small amounts of cereals might provide a way to achieve sustainable meat production, meet the production system requirements of the European Union, extensification and territory use to contribute to the livelihood of rural population. To produce a high quality meat, however, it is necessary to evaluate variables related to animal production, such as genetic and management properties, as well as variables associated with the processing of meat (Short et al., 1999). Breed is an important factor that can influence the characteristics of the finished product; therefore, a comparative study of the most common breeds in Spanish mountain areas is needed. Given the particular characteristics of beef from adult animals, it is plausible that meat processing parameters, such as extent of the ageing period might influence the quality of oxen meat. Although studies have described the carcass and meat characteristics of castrated males in a large number of breeds, most of the studies are based on animal slaughtered at less than 3 years of age and few have examined these characteristics in older animals.

The objective of this experiment was to determine the breed-specific characteristics of meat produced in a production system that is based on the maximum use of natural resources, and to determine the optimum ageing period required to produce high quality meat from oxen.