| Abstrakt: |
Thirty-two steers implanted with 36 mg of DES were compared with 32 untreated bulls as to growth rate and carcass characteristics. Of these animals, 17 paternal half-sib bull-steer pairs were used to compare eating quality. Average age at slaughter was approximately 14 months. Bulls produced more carcass weight per day of age than steers. Bull carcasses had less fat content, less marbling, larger rib-eye areas, darker meat, higher conformation grades and lower quality grades. Raw muscle samples from steers had more bound moisture while samples from bulls tended to have more free moisture, however, total moisture differences were nonsignificant. Total cooking losses were comparable in rib roasts from bulls and steers, but higher in top-round roasts from bulls. Cooked muscle samples from bulls and steers were comparable in shear value. For the more tender longissimusmuscle, the taste panel scored steer meat higher than bull meat for tenderness, juiciness and flavor; but for less tender adductorand semimembranosusmuscles there were no significant differences between buls and steers. |
