Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Purebred Bulls Reared under Intensive Production Systems

Background: Growth ability and meat performance are of great economic importance in beef cattle. Therefore, breed comparison experiments are needed to provide valuable information on the suitability of different beef breeds for different production conditions. The aim of the present study was to compare the growth performance and meat quality of young Red Angus, Salers and Limousin bulls. Methods: The material comprised 30 bulls of Red Angus (RA), Salers (SL) and Limousin (LM) breeds. The parameters studied were 210-d bodyweight and daily gains from birth to weaning and to finishing, as well as from weaning to finishing. The finished bulls were slaughtered after 12-hour fasting and post-slaughter evaluation was carried out. The compositions of the samples of meat from the longest dorsal muscle (m. longissimus dorsi) were subjected to basic chemical analysis and sensory analysis. Result: The best results in the period of maternal nursing were obtained by the SL bulls and during intensive fattening, by the LM bulls. The differences existed in the chemical composition and sensory characteristics of meat from the bulls of the studied breeds. The RA breed demonstrated the highest content of intramuscular fat in the longissimus dorsi muscle and received higher scores for sensory characteristics.