GROWTH, DIGESTIVE CAPABILITY, CARCASS AND MEAT CHARACTERISTICS OF BISON-BISON, BOS-TAURUS, AND BOS X BISON

Three experiments involving 39 Bos taurus, 14 Bison bison, and 20 Bos x Bison fed diets differing in proportions of roughage and concentrate to evaluate growth, digestive capability, carcass, sind meat characte ristics are reported. Bos taurus consumed more (P <.05) feed per day a nd gained more (P <.05) rapidly than bison br Bos x Bison except durin g a period of extremely cold weather. Efficiency of gain was similar f or all species types. There was no tendency for bison or Bos x Bison. to gain more than Bos taurus on the higher-roughage diets. Bison and B os x Bison had higher (P <.10 to .01) digestion coefficients for all c omponents evaluated (i.e., DM, CP, GE, MDF, hemicellulose, and cellulo se). Species x diet interactions were not significant, indicating that the higher digestion coefficients of bison were not specific to high- roughage diets. Bison and their hybrids had more (P <.05) lean meat an d less (P <.01) fat trim in all wholesale cuts except the chuck and ri b cuts. Fat thickness at the 12th rib of bison was higher ( P <.01) th an that of Bos taurus because most of the carcass fat of bison is loca ted over the thoracic area. Bison and Bos x Bison had higher (P <.01) dressing percentages and a lower (P <.01) proportion of their carcass in the hindquarter than Bos taurus. Shear force and sensory tenderness scores indicated bison were more (P <.05) tender and had a flavor dif ferent (P <.01) from that of Bos taurus. Bison and Bos x Bison had mor e (P <.01) cholesterol in the longissimus muscle and less (P <.05) in the subcutaneous fat than Bos taurus. Bison had a lower ( P <.01) perc entage of white and higher percentage of intermediate muscle fibers th an Bos taurus with essentially no difference in percentage of red fibe rs.