Carcass and Meat Quality of Male and Female Water Buffaloes Finished Under an Intensive Production System

Abstract

Carcass and meat quality of male and female Anatolian Water Buffalos were investigated using 10 carcasses from each gender. Gender had no influence on carcass characteristics, except warm carcass weight, which was 13% higher in males compared to females. Meat from male water buffalos had higher ultimate pH and lightness (L*), but lower redness (a*) values than females. Meat samples aged for 21-day had lower values for expressed juice, cooking loss and Warner Bratzler shear force compared with those of 7-day aged ones. Meat samples aged for 21-day had higher L* value at 1 h and 24 h after cutting, a* value at 1 h after cutting compared with those of 7-day aged meat samples. Gender had no effect on meat sensory characteristics. Meat from male water buffalos had higher proportions of C14:0, C18:3 n-3, C20:2 n-6, C20:3 n-3 and C20:4 n-6 and ∑n-3 fatty acids and lower ∑n-6/∑n-3 ratio compared with female water buffalos.

Rigor development and meat quality of Murrah buffalo from different production systems

“…WBsSF values observed in this experiment are below those reported in the literature for not aged meats of water buffaloes with 24-36 months older (Spanghero, et al, 2004;Ekiz, et al, 2018;Li, et al, 2018;Mello, et al, 2018). This greater tenderness 72 h postmortem can be attributed to the chilling process adopted and the consequent greater proteolysis.…”

Current Knowledge on River Buffalo Meat: A Critical Analysis

“…In the older animals, the PUFA/SFA ratio was higher in bulls relative to steers, combined with a lower atherogenic index, suggesting that meat from intact males has nutritional advantages with respect to steer meat. The meat from males also showed a better FA profile compared to females, thanks to its higher n-3 content, with a consequent lower n-6/n-3 ratio [88]. A study on the impact of buffalo meat consumption on cardiovascular risk revealed possible associations with several beneficial effects, including lower levels of total cholesterol and more favourable vascular parameters [96].…”

“…The large variability in the age of the animals used in the different studies, together with the differences in the age range within studies, might explain the conflicting results. Sex also seems to affect pH, with higher values reported for males [88,118]. No effects of the diet on pH were reported [33,50].…”

“…Looking at the literature data, WHC is one of the quality traits for which a very high heterogeneity of the results can be observed when causes of variation are studied. For example, the results on the trend of WHC related to meat ageing show either a decrease in cooking loss [88] or an increase, but depending on the muscle [127]. The effect of sex is also unclear, with data indicating better WHC in males [26], or no differences between sexes [88].…”

“…For example, the results on the trend of WHC related to meat ageing show either a decrease in cooking loss [88] or an increase, but depending on the muscle [127]. The effect of sex is also unclear, with data indicating better WHC in males [26], or no differences between sexes [88]. Conflicting results were also obtained when the effect of the diet was investigated, because some studies did not evidence any influence [50,53], whereas significant differences in cooking loss were reported for different finishing diets (alfalfa hay or maize silage) and correlated to different fat content [22].…”