Ultrasound tissue depths, measured before and after finishing, combined with live weight can predict fat weights and proportions in beef carcasses and carcass quarters with high accuracy.
There are significant meat quality advantages of pelvic versus achilles suspension of beef carcasses when utilising extensive production regimes.
Significant favourable correlations have been found between carcass yield and tenderness, indicating no antagonism between these traits.
Following analysis of α-tocopherol, β-carotene and lutein in beef, it is possible to distinguish beef from animals fed a diet based on concentrates and diets containing pasture or pasture/pasture silage/concentrate combinations.
Selection for improved feed efficiency will not have any unfavourable repercussions for carcass traits.
Steers have a greater proportion of forequarter (shin and clod) and lower proportion of hindquarter (topside, rump and sirloin) in their carcasses compared with heifers.
Variations in finishing environment had specific effects on pork adipose attributes. Just one of the findings of a study, carried out by scientists in the US, that set out to compare the effects of finishing environment on growth performance, pork quality and lipid composition of pork.
Both feeding and rearing systems influence growth performance and carcass composition in pigs, through the relative growth deposition of fat and lean tissues.
Providing supplementary milk ad-lib from farrowing increased numbers weaned by 0.65 pigs per litter and the main reduction in mortality is seen where high numbers are reduced through poor nutritional support through lactation.
Tempo pigs grew faster and were more efficient than Pietrain or Landrace pigs. Just one of several findings of a study, carried out by researchers in Northern Ireland, to investigate the effect of breed on pig performance and carcass quality of pigs when taken to different slaughter weights
