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Modification of steer muscle composition and meat quality through age at slaughter, hormonal implants, ractopamine hydrochloride feed supplementation, and breed crosses

  • Author / Creator
    Girard, Isabelle
  • Management systems that enhance carcass yield can increase the efficiency and competitiveness of beef producers, but meat quality should not be negatively affected. Continental or British crossbred steers were finished to either 12 to 13 or 18 to 20 months of age and were either untreated or treated with hormonal implants, ractopamine hydrochloride, or both. Slaughtering steers at 18 to 20 month of age, using British-Continental crossbreeding, and implanting steers reduced meat tenderness but meat yield was greater than that of 12 to 13 month old steers, British-British crossbred steers, and non-implanted steers. Decreased meat tenderness was associated with increased myofibre diameter and reduced collagen solubility. Slaughtering at 18 to 20 months of age, hormonal implants, and ractopamine hydrochloride reduced meat water-holding capacity. Muscle weight appeared to be the best indicator of shear force and it may cumulatively represent complex changes related to age and growth that occur in muscle.

  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Graduation date
    Fall 2010
  • Type of Item
    Thesis
  • Degree
    Master of Science
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/R39Q0W
  • License
    This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.