Meat qualify characteristics of two Sanga (indigenous) breeds (Afrikaner an
d Nguni), one indigenous composite breed (Bonsmara), one foreign composite
breed (Santa Gertrudis) and two continental breeds (Brown Swiss and Pinzgau
er) were compared. Means were adjusted for mean overall subcutaneous fat le
vel (4.7%). Meat tenderness was then related to certain muscle characterist
ics. Shear force measurements indicated that Santa Gertrudis (SG) meat was
significantly less tender than that of the two continental breeds and the t
hree indigenous breeds (P < 0.05). Pairwise linear correlations showed that
differences found in background toughness (connective tissue) among breeds
did not have a significant effect on tenderness. However, higher myofibril
lar fragmentation indices, as well as lower white muscle fibre percentages
for the three indigenous breeds, especially the two Sanga breeds, proved th
eir potential to produce meat of comparable tenderness to that of continent
al breeds under specific slaughter and post-slaughter conditions. (C) 2000
Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.