Influence of animal temperament and stress responsiveness on the carcass quality and beef tenderness of feedlot cattle

Relationship between temperament with performance and meat quality of feedlot steers with predominantly Charolais or Nellore breed

“…Calmer Bos indicus steers presented higher pH values 1 h post mortem than those classified as intermediate or excited, and also higher values than predominantly Bos taurus steers. These result, in addition to the negative correlations between behavioral attributes (exit velocity and flight distance) and luminosity, are consistent with the results showed by King et al (2006) and Barbosa-Silveira et al (2006). More agitated cattle may deplete their glycogen reserves quicker, yielding higher lactate concentration in the muscles very soon after stunning, which might lower pH values 1 h post mortem (Gregory, 1998;Lawrie, 2005).…”

“…However, the lack of relation between temperament and meat quality traits is in contrast with the results presented by Voisinet et al (1997b), who reported increased likelihood of excited cattle to present dark cutting meat; or with Fordyce et al (1988a) and King et al (2006), who reported increased peak shear force values for steers with high exit velocity or classified as excited. Also, King et al (2006) found that plasmatic cortisol differed according to temperament categories, and it was positively related to Warner-Bratzler shear values.…”

“…The fear tests used in the present study are related to human presence and social isolation from herd mates. Moderate to high correlations found between behavioral attributes show a common psychological base (Morris et al, 1994;King et al, 2006). Some others studies have revealed distinct reactions between genotypes, reporting for Bos indicus breeds or crossbreds greater agitation compared with Bos taurus (Grandin & Deesing, 1998;Barbosa-Silveira et al, 2006;Barbosa-Silveira et al, 2008a, b).…”

“…Petherick et al (2002) observed that exit velocity increased until day 70 and decreased by day 101 and credited it to the repeated handling of the animals. King et al (2006) reported diminished values for exit velocity after the first evaluation due to habituation of the animals. Those discrepancies revealed that management and previous experience might influence repeatability.…”

“…Highly agitated or flighty animals yield tougher meat (Voisinet et al, 1997b;King et al, 2006;Kadel et al, 2006) and present higher losses of meat due to bruising (Fordyce et al, 1988b). However, Kabuga & Appiah (1992) and Barbosa-Silveira et al (2008a) did not verify differences for weight gain between genetic groups of Bos taurus and Bos indicus crossbred steers.…”