Comparison of collagen profile and tenderness of muscles from heifers and single-calf cows

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare slaughter value, collagen profile, shear force and sensory quality of muscles originating from carcasses of heifers and single-calf cows of Polish Holstein-Friesian x Limousine crossbreds. Eight heifers (540 days old) and eight single-calf cows (836 days old), which were produced in a semi-intensive system, were included in the study. Single-calf cows were heavier than the heifers, which had higher dressing percentages and average daily gains. Calving and age at slaughter did not influence cooking loss of semimembranosus (SEM) and infraspinatus (INF) muscles or the shear force of SEM. The ventral part of the INF muscle from single-calf cows exhibited higher shear force values. In both muscles, higher water-soluble and lower acid-soluble collagen contents were noted in heifers compared with single-calf cows. There were no differences in sensory quality of SEM obtained from the carcasses of singlecalf cows and heifers, whereas cross-section appearance, tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability of INF were scored higher for single-calf cows than for heifers. Thus, it can be concluded that heifers and single-calf cows produce meat with similar eating quality.

The influence of age and sex on carcass characteristics and chemical composition of the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle in wild boars (<i>Sus scrofa</i>)

“…The collagen content reported by other authors varies widely. In some studies, the collagen content of the LTL muscle was lower than in our study, 0.5 % (Oshima et al, 2009) and 0.4 % (Rede et al, 1986), whereas other authors reported a considerably higher collagen content, up to 1.8 % (Korzeniowski et al, 1991a;Dzierżyńska-Cybulko and Fruziński, 1997). Collagen (its concentration and solubility) might affect the quality of meat (Chriki et al, 2013;Dubost et al, 2013).…”

Likelihood of obtaining tender meat from confined calf

“…Few studies have reported that tenderness increases with increasing finishing time of up to 120 and 130 days (16,17) . After this period, the efficiency of weight gain decreases along with increasing age, to an extent where the meat quality decreases (18) . Age, in turn, shows an inverse correlation with tenderness, and in the present study, it had the same representation in the variability of shear force as the finishing time.…”

A balanced perspective on animal welfare for improved meat and meat products

“…The quantity of collagen in a muscle determines the amount of connective tissues and tenderness. In addition, intramuscular lipid content plays an important role in flavour and indirectly juiciness and tenderness (Muchenje et al, 2009b;Dubost et al, 2013;Modzelewska-Kapitula et al, 2014).…”