Estimation of the carcass composition of different cattle breeds and crosses from conformation assessments adjusted for fatness

1986 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Kempster
Keyword(s):  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Visual Assessment ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Beef Breed ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Precise Prediction ◽  
Substantial Bias

SUMMARYCarcass data for 1053 steers from the Meat and Livestock Commission's beef breed evaluation programme were used to examine the prediction of carcass composition from conformation-related characteristics corrected to equal fatness. The data were from four trials and comprised both dairy-bred and suckler-bred cattle by a wide range of sire breeds.When used with carcass weight (W) and a visual assessment of carcass subcutaneous fat percentage (SFe) (the most precise simple assessment of carcass lean percentage, residual S.d. = 2·28), m. longissimus area (MLA) at the 10th rib was the most effective conformation-related assessment (residual S.d. = 2·10). Precision was improved by the further addition of a visual conformation assessment (C15) on a 15-point scale (residual S.d. = 2·06). The use of equations combining W, SFe, MLA, C15 and other simple assessments of fatness improved the precision further (residual S.d. = 1·94).The measurement combinations above also provided a significant prediction of the percentage of total carcass lean distributed in the higher-priced joints. Residual S.d.s were: W + SFe, (1·12); W + SFe + MLA (1·07); W + SFe + MLA + C15 (1·06).When the equations were applied to the breed means, there was substantial bias (predicted – actual carcass lean percentage). Bias ranged from approximately + 1·5 (purebred Canadian Holsteins and Luings ) to – 1·6 (Limousin crosses). The accuracy of carcass lean prediction was not improved by the addition of bone measurements to the equations but there was some improvement in the prediction of lean to bone ratio: cattle with light, thin bones tended to have higher ratios.Similar combinations of independent variables were found to provide the most precise prediction within breed.

Estimation of the carcass composition of different cattle breeds and crosses from fatness measurements and visual assessments

1986 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Kempster ◽  
J. P. Chadwick ◽  
D. D. Charles
Keyword(s):  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Visual Assessment ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Beef Breed ◽  
Percentage Unit ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fat Thickness ◽  
Substantial Bias ◽  
Visual Assessments ◽  
Thickness Measurements

SUMMARYCarcass data for 1053 steers from the Meat and Livestock Commission's beef breed evaluation programme were used to examine the relative precision of alternative fatness assessments for predicting carcass lean percentage. The data were from four trials and comprised both dairy-bred and suckler-bred cattle by a wide range of sire breeds.A visual assessment of carcass subcutaneous fat content to the nearest percentage unit (SFe) was the single most precise predictor both overall (residual S.d. = 2·28) and within breed (residual S.d. = 2·05). Precision was improved by the addition in multiple regression of the percentage perinephric and retroperitoneal fat (KKCF) in carcass, a visual score of the degree of marbling in the m. longissimus and selected fat thickness measurements taken by calipers on cut surfaces (residual S.d. = 2·11 (overall) and 1·90 (within breed)).When the best overall equation was applied to the breed means, there was substantial bias (predicted – actual carcass lean percentage). Biases ranged from +2·5 (purebred Canadian Holstein and Luing) to – 1·3 (Limousin crosses).Breeds differed significantly in carcass lean content when compared at equal levels of fatness measurements. The differences depended both on the precision with which the measurements predicted carcass lean content and the observed differences in carcass composition that existed before adjustments to equal fatness were made.The robustness of prediction equations was examined by applying them to independent sets of data (a total of 334 carcasses) from four other trials involving steers, heifers, cows and young bulls. Equations were stable for cattle of the same breed, sex and similar levels of fatness but important bias was found between more extreme types of cattle.

Value of conformation as an indicator of sheep carcass composition within and between breeds

1981 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Kempster ◽  
D. Croston ◽  
D. W. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Visual Assessment ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
The Other ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Evaluation Data ◽  
Breed Comparison ◽  
Sire Breed

ABSTRACTCarcass evaluation data from two breed-comparison trials were used to examine the value of conformation as an indicator of carcass composition when used in addition to carcass weight and different measures of fatness. One trial involved 1478 crossbred lambs out of three ewe types by Border Leicester, Dorset Down, Ile-de-France, North Country Cheviot, Oxford Down, Southdown, Suffolk, Texel and Wensleydale sires. The other trial involved 920 crossbred lambs out of two dam types by Dorset Down, Ile-de-France, Oldenburg, Oxford Down, Suffolk and Texel sires. Each trial extended over 3 years.Conformation contributed little to the prediction of carcass lean percentage or proportion of lean in the higher-priced joints, although the additional precision was often significant at P<0·01. When conformation was used in association with dissected subcutaneous fat percentage, it was positively associated with carcass lean content; used with a visual assessment of external fat cover on a five-point scale, which provided a less effective control of fatness variation, it tended to be negatively related to carcass lean content.Conformation was slightly more valuable for the prediction of lean to bone ratio and m. longissimus depth. The addition of sire-breed effect to weight and fat class provided an important increase in the precision of prediction of percentage lean in carcass and lean to bone ratio. Texel progeny had higher lean to bone ratios and more lean in the carcass than progeny of other sire breeds, but they did not have sufficiently high conformation scores to clearly identify this advantage.

A note on the accuracy of an ultrasonic technique for selecting cattle of different breeds for slaughter at equal fatness

1981 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Kempster ◽  
M. G. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Visual Assessment ◽  
Ultrasonic Technique ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Ultrasonic Machine ◽  
Beef Breed ◽  
Evaluation Programme ◽  
Ultrasonic Measurements ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Using Data

ABSTRACTIn the first phase of the Meat and Livestock Commission's beef breed evaluation programme, cattle were slaughtered at a fixed subcutaneous fat percentage in carcass. Slaughter point was determined from fat areas measured over the m. longissimus at the 10th and 13th ribs by the Scanogram ultrasonic machine.The accuracy of the slaughter procedure was examined using data for 1367 cattle from the first 3 years of the programme. Subcutaneous fat percentage predicted from the ultrasonic measurements was compared with the percentage estimated by visual assessment of carcass fat cover. The s.d. of the difference between the two was 1·65.Data for a subset of 313 cattle were used to examine the relationships between the ultrasonically measured fat areas and actual subcutaneous fat percentage obtained by dissection. The residual s.d. for the prediction of subcutaneous fat within breed and production system was 1-18.The level of accuracy achieved was considered to be satisfactory within the context of the beef breed evaluation programme.

scholarly journals Growth and carcass characteristics in wether lambs of a crossbred dam line

2003 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M. van Heelsum ◽  
R.M. Lewis ◽  
M.H. Davies ◽  
W. Haresign
Keyword(s):  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Carcass Characteristics ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Fat Content ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Group Breeding ◽  
Positive Effect

AbstractWhile crossing of specialized sire and dam breeds can be biologically efficient overall, a by-product is produced in the form of (crossbred) males of the dam line that are unwanted for breeding. In the UK sheep industry, most commercial females are first crosses between males of ‘longwool’ crossing sire breeds, predominantly the Bluefaced Leicester, and females of hill breeds. Genetic improvement of carcass quality in longwool breeds would benefit the surplus F1 males as well as filter through to the terminal sire cross lambs produced by the F1 ewes. As a first step, this paper aims to describe the growth and carcass characteristics of crossbred ‘Mule’ wether offspring of Bluefaced Leicester sires and Scottish Blackface and Hardy Speckled Face dams, and relate the crossbred performance to the ‘lean’ index and live conformation score of the sires and the breed of the dams. In each of 3 years, 1500 hill ewes divided over three sites were mated to 15 ram lambs, selected using an elliptical design to best represent the full spectrum of lean index (designed to improve muscle and decrease fat content while keeping live weight unchanged) and live conformation score present in the Penglas Bluefaced Leicester Group Breeding Scheme. Full growth and slaughter records were available on 2192 Mule wether lambs slaughtered after reaching finished condition, defined as the borderline between MLC fat class 2 and 3L. Measurements included live weight, ultrasonic muscle and fat depth, live conformation score, carcass hot and cold weight, MLC fat score (on the standard seven-point scale) and conformation score (EUROP and 15-point scale) and a visual estimation of subcutaneous fat cover. Nearly 800 carcasses were dissected; 20% had a full side and 80% a shoulder dissection. In part-dissected carcasses, shoulder dissection results were used to predict the fat and lean content of the other joints. Fat and lean percentages and absolute weights were then regressed on the lean index and the residual live conformation score of the sire. At the same finished condition, Scottish Blackface offspring were heavier, older, and had less fat and more lean based both on ultrasound and on carcass dissection measurements compared with Hardy Speckled Face offspring. The index score of the sire had a positive effect on the lean content and a negative effect on fat content of all joints. Conformation of the sire did not have a significant effect on any of the carcass composition measurements, but most conformation traits measured on the animal itself (live or on the carcass) were positively related to fat and negatively to lean content in the carcass. When taking into account differences in visually assessed subcutaneous fat percentage, the carcass conformation traits persisted only in having a positive effect on carcass fat content; none of the conformation traits had an effect on carcass lean content. The results show that selection of sires on lean index is an effective way to improve carcass composition in Mule wethers, but selection on conformation is ineffective.

The evaluation of a standardized commercial cutting technique for determining breed differences in carcass composition

1980 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 431-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Kempster ◽  
G. L. Cook ◽  
R. J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Beef Breed ◽  
Tissue Separation ◽  
Breed Differences ◽  
Intermuscular Fat ◽  
Full Separation ◽  
Good Agreement

SUMMARYData for 383 steer carcasses from the first 3 years of the Meat and Livestock Commission's Beef Breed Evaluation programme were used to evaluate a standardized commercial cutting technique for estimating breed differences in carcass composition. The sample included carcasses from cattle out of Friesian, Hereford × Friesian and Blue-Grey dams by sires of the main traditional British beef breeds and by Charolais, Limousin and Simmental sires. The left side of each carcass was divided into 14 standardized commercial joints which were deboned and trimmed of fat to a fixed level (commercial cutting); the other side was jointed in the same way and each joint fully separated into lean, subcutaneous fat, intermuscular fat and bone (full separation). Breed means for characteristics obtained by commercial cutting were adjusted to equal carcass subcutaneous fat percentage (SF) estimated by visual appraisal, while those for full separation characteristics were adjusted to equal SF obtained by tissue separation. Breed differences in deboned fat-trimmed joints (saleable meat) as a percentage of carcass weight were in good agreement with those for carcass lean percentage (between-breed correlation, rb = 0·92), as were those for saleable meat to bone ratio and lean to bone ratio (rb = 0·91). There was a poorer relationship between fat trim and separable fat (rb = 0·62) but there was little breed variation in these characteristics at equal SF. Breed differences in the percentage of total saleable meat distributed in higher-priced joints were very similar to those for lean distribution in higher-priced joints (rb = 0·87).

scholarly journals EFFECTS OF BREED AND SEX ON THE PATTERNS OF FAT DEPOSITION AND DISTRIBUTION IN SWINE

1980 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. D. M. JONES ◽  
R. J. RICHMOND ◽  
M. A. PRICE ◽  
R. B. BERG
Keyword(s):  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Fat Distribution ◽  
Allometric Equation ◽  
Muscle Weight ◽  
Constant Weight ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Fat Depots ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sex Type ◽  
Breed Differences

The growth and distribution of fat from 163 pig carcasses were compared among five breeds (Duroc × Yorkshire (D × Y), Hampshire × Yorkshire (H × Y), Yorkshire (Y × Y), Yorkshire × Lacombe-Yorkshire (Y × L-Y) and Lacombe × Yorkshire (L × Y)) and two sex-types (barrows and gilts) over a wide range in carcass weight. The growth pattern of fat and the fat depots were estimated from the allometric equation (Y = aXb) using side muscle weight and side fat weight separately as independent variables. Growth coefficients (b) for intermuscular and subcutaneous fat depots were similar for the hindquarter but the intermuscular depot coefficient was slightly higher for the forequarter. The coefficient for body cavity fat was highest in all comparisons. No significant differences were detected for coefficients among breeds and between sexes using both total muscle and total side fat as independent variables. Significant breed and sex-type differences were found in the fat depots at a constant weight of side muscle. This would indicate that breed differences in fatness seemed to be more influenced by the initiation of fattening at different muscle weights than by any inherent differences in rate of fattening. Significant breed differences were also found in the fat depots at a constant fat weight, indicating that breed may influence fat distribution. Sex-type had no effect on fat distribution when the evaluation was made at constant fatness.

The estimation of beef carcass composition from subcutaneous fat measurements taken on the intact side using different probing instruments

1983 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Chadwick ◽  
A. J. Kempster
Keyword(s):  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Thickness Measurement ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Relative Precision ◽  
Precise Prediction ◽  
Fat Thickness ◽  
Fat Score ◽  
Thickness Measurements ◽  
Single Predictor ◽  
Made In

SUMMARYFat thickness measurements, taken over the M. longissimus between the 6th and 13th ribs by the automatic-recording probes, SFK Meat-Fat probe (MF), Hennessy and Chong Fat Depth Indicator (FDI) and Ulster probe (UP), and a simple ruler probe (RP), were compared with one another and a visual fat score (VSC) in terms of the precision with which carcass lean and subcutaneous fat percentages were predicted. The comparisons were made in four separate trials with RP and VSC common to all of them. A total of 182 carcasses were involved; 130 of these were probed both hot and cold. Comparisons were made among carcasses of the same weight.VSC was the best single predictor in most circumstances. Fat thickness measurements taken on the cold carcass provided a more precise prediction than those taken on the hot carcass. There was an interaction between the relative precision of the MF and RP probes and the condition of the carcass: the former generally gave the more precise prediction on cold carcasses and the latter on hot carcasses. Measurements taken by FDI tended to be better predictors than those taken by RP on both hot and cold carcasses. The use of two fat thickness measurements gave an improvement in precision over the best individual fat thickness measurements. There was also an improvement in precision in most circumstances when a fat thickness measurement was used in addition to VSC.There was little indication that specific fat measurements were particularly precise predictors when taken by specific probes, and no fat measurement was consistently the best predictor. A measurement taken 7·5 cm from the dorsal mid line at the 6th rib occurred most commonly in pairs of measurements giving the most precise prediction.

The estimation of killing out in cattle from knowledge of breed, and visual appraisal of external fat cover and conformation

1984 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Bailey ◽  
G. L. Cook ◽  
A. J. Kempster ◽  
A. G. Sains
Keyword(s):  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Beef Breed ◽  
Body Conformation ◽  
Precise Prediction ◽  
Carcass Conformation ◽  
Fat Score ◽  
Milk Marketing ◽  
Visual Assessments ◽  
Sire Breed

ABSTRACTData for a total of 3715 cattle from four sources were used to examine the relative importance of live weight at slaughter, and visual assessments of carcass conformation and subcutaneous fat cover, as predictors of killing out. The sources were the Meat and Livestock Commission's beef breed evaluation programme (1689 steers of different breeds and crosses), the beef demonstration unit at the National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh (814 commercial dairy-bred cattle), an East Anglian abattoir (405 commercial cattle) and the Milk Marketing Board's Warren Farm (807 dairy-bred steers by different sire breeds). An assessment of live body conformation was also examined as a predictor in the Warren Farm data.Carcass conformation provided a more precise prediction of killing out than did either live weight or subcutaneous fat score. Regression coefficients in the different groups ranged from 5·4 to 12·0 g/kg for each increase in conformation class (six-point scale). The live conformation assessment was a less precise predictor (within sire breed residual s.d. = 17·7 g/kg) than the carcass assessment (15·6 g/kg).

Unravelling the complex interactions between genetics, animal age and nutrition as they impact on tissue deposition, muscle characteristics and quality of Australian sheep meat

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 1229 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Warner ◽  
D. W. Pethick ◽  
P. L. Greenwood ◽  
E. N. Ponnampalam ◽  
R. G. Banks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meat Quality ◽  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Intramuscular Fat ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Early Weaning ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Sheep Meat ◽  
Australian Sheep

The combined effects of age and genetics and Poll Dorset sire and growth path were studied in two separate experiments (n = 595 and 627, respectively). In the first experiment, containing genotype crosses typically used in Australia (Merino, Poll Dorset, Border Leicester) and sires selected for growth or muscling, sheep were slaughtered at 4, 8, 14 and 22 months. The second experiment used Poll Dorset sires selected for high muscling, fat or growth with progeny having two levels of nutrition postweaning. Border Leicesters expressed higher levels of carcass fat percentage and intramuscular fat and produced the heaviest carcass. Merinos had the lowest subcutaneous fat depth and highest carcass lean percentage when compared at the same age. The progeny of Poll Dorset sires selected for high muscling (PDm) expressed a shift toward glycolytic fibres relative to those from Merino sires, and PDm sires produced progeny with reduced spine and limb length and higher carcass muscle : mineral ratios, suggesting skeletal stunting. Genotype meat quality differences were minimal except that PDm sire topsides were tougher and Merinos produced higher pH meat. With age (4–22 months), lambs became heavier and fatter, fibres shifted towards oxidative and away from glycolytic, muscle myoglobin increased, the meat became darker and redder and tenderness declined. Early weaning had no effect on the time to reach slaughter weight, provided nutrition was not restricted. The sire genetics influence on the carcass composition far outweighed the effect of nutrition postweaning. Lambs on a restricted diet tended to have less acceptable meat quality but this was not evident in lambs from sires selected for high fatness. Sensory tenderness was improved and intramuscular fat was higher in lamb progeny from sires selected for high fatness.

scholarly journals Evaluation of different exterior – constitutional types in breeding of polissya beef breed

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bojko ◽  
S. Shalovylo
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Research ◽  
Visual Assessment ◽  
The Body ◽  
Estimation Methods ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Body Structure ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Beef Breed ◽  
The Difference

The article deals with the data on test results of efficient use of four suggested estimation methods by different authors of exterior–constitutional types of bulls on the Polissya meat breed: – visual assessment of the animal type of structure on  a 100–point scale,  according to the «Instructions for appraisal of meat breeds cattle»: – evaluation of the body structure on the model deviations by the formula of  M.M. Kolesnyk (1960), A.M. Uhnivenko (2010); – eirisomia index by the formula of M. Zamyatina (2005); – mass and metric coefficient by the formula of D. Vinnychuk et al (2005). Thanks to carried out investigations it have been established, that the most appropriate is the  use of mass and metric factor by D. Vinnychuk. However given the fact that the use of other methods, in particular by model variations of M. Kolesnyk, A. Uhnivenko, the correlation connection was high, and the difference is statistically significant, in our opinion can be used in scientific research, both methods of evaluating structure of  the animals body structure.

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