Relationship between internal angle of the rump and the degree of finishing in cattle
Beef; Cattle; Quality; Slaughterhouse.
The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between the internal angle formed between the sides of the rump (IAR), visual evaluation of the degree of finishing, the thickness of the subcutaneous fat and the weight losses of the carcasses after cooling in intact and castrated males and cows. In this study, 989 cows, 119 intact males and 211 castrated males were evaluated. The AIG of the animals was measured using a goniometer, the visual evaluation of the carcass finishing (VECF) was performed on the warm carcass after skinning and the evaluation of the subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) was performed on the cold carcass, with a digital caliper placed in a cut between the 12th and 13th rib, for weight loss after cooling (PPAR) the warm carcass weight was collected after the carcass toilet and the cold carcass weight was collected after the carcasses remained 18 hours in the cold chamber at 0 ° C. Carcasses were classified on the basis of AIG in 3 categories: inadequate (I) for carcasses with a finishing degree of 1 and 2; (A) for carcasses with a degree of finish of 3 and 4; Excessive (E) for carcasses with a degree of finish 5. There was a positive linear relationship between AIG and HVAC (y = 98.29 + 5.78 * x, R2 = 0.53, P <0.001) and between AIG and EGS (y = 0.26 + 0.51 * x, R2 = 0.51, P <0.001) in cows, there was a positive linear relationship between AIG and HVAC (y = 5.5502x + 113.64, R2 = 0, 52) and a low ratio between AIG and EGS (y = 2.3937x-01503; R2 = 0.49) in castrated males. Cows classified as having an excessive fat level according to the IAE scale presented higher AIG and EGS than cows classified as inadequate or adequate (P <0.001). Likewise, cows classified as adequate presented higher AIG and EGS than cows classified as inadequate (P <0.001). These results demonstrate that in vivo AIG measurement in Nelore cows and castrated males can provide a good indication of the fat level of their carcass.