EFFECTS OF GENDER AND BREED ON CARCASS TRAITS, CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION, AND PALATABILITY ATTRIBUTES IN HEREFORD AND SIMMENTAL BULLS AND STEERS

The effects of gender and breed on carcass and chemical composition, a nd palatability attributes were investigated in 222 Hereford and Simme ntal bulls and steers. Cattle were progeny of 12 Hereford and 17 Simme ntal sires using six half-sibs per sire. Bulls were fed a 64% TDN diet to slaughter endpoints of either 4, 7, or 10 mm backfat. Steers were fed diets containing up to 80% TDN until cattle achieved 7 to 10 mm ba ckfat. Gender effects were confounded with diet tb take into account d ifferences in commercial cattle feeding vs. bull testing. Gender by br eed interactions (P < 0.05) were present for carcass traits due to lar ge between breed differences for bulls as limited ability for Simmenta l bulls to fatten resulted in deposition of more lean tissue. Gender b y breed interactions (P < 0.05) were present for shear, and tenderness and flavour attributes. Beef from Simmental bulls was characterized w ith less flavour intensity, and tough due to high scores for shear and time spent chewing, and low scores for softness and tenderness. Shear , tenderness, and flavour attributes;were similar among Herefords of b oth genders and Simmental steers. Palatability attributes for Hereford bulls managed in a bull test program were non-significantly different than those from Hereford steers managed in a feedlot environment, sug gesting that palatability attributes for steers could be predicted fro m bulls. This was not the case with Simmental bulls probably due to li mited fattening ability on a relatively low energy bull test diet. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.