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Effects of Late Castration, Zeranol and Breed Group on Composition and Palatability Characteristics of Longissimus Muscle of Bovine Males¹

US Department of Agriculture², Clay Center, NE 68933

Abstract

Samples of longissimus muscle from 94 males representing four treatments (castrated at about 1 yr, intact, intact and implanted with 36 mg zeranol at d 0 and 70, and intact and implanted with 72 mg zeranol at d 0) and three breed groups with an average live weight of 628 kg and an average age of 17 mo at slaughter were evaluated for a series of composition and palatability characteristics. Longissimus muscle from castrate males generally had a higher score for marbling, a higher percentage of fat, a lower shear force value and was evaluated more desirable by sensory panel scores for tenderness, amount of connective tissue and ease of fragmentation than longissimus muscle from intact males. Intact males implanted with zeranol (two treatments) generally did not differ from each other and from untreated intact males in either composition or palatability related characteristics. Breed groups differed in longissimus muscle fat percentage and in marbling score, but differences among breed groups in palatability characteristics, even though significant, were not of sufficient magnitude to be important. Neither fat percentage nor marbling score of the longissimus muscle were significantly associated with any of the characteristics relating to meat palatability. Sensory panel scores for amount of connective tissue and ease of fragmentation were highly associated (P<.01) with each other (r = .95) and with sensory panel score for tenderness (r =.95 and .96); the relationship of each of these three variables with shear force value was approximately equal (r = –.52, –.53 and –.55).

¹ The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Marietta Buyck and P. R. Durland for chemical analysis of the meat samples, of C. L. Southard for determination of shear force values and for sensory panel scores and of Wayne Hinerman and Patricia Weare for analysis of the data.

² Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, ARS.

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