INFLUENCE OF THE GENOTYPE AND GENDER OF YOUNG BEEF CATTLE ON THE VALUE OF CARCASSES PURCHASED BY ONE OF THE POLISH MEAT PROCESSING PLANTS

The quality of beef is determined, among others, by factors such as breed, age and sex of slaughtered animals and fattening intensity. The aim of the study was to assess carcass quality of young cattle purchased by a selected domestic meat processing plant. The study included a group of 300 bulls and 300 heifers with selected genotypes (Limousine breed; crossbreds – Charolaise, Limousine, Simental × Polish Holstein-Friesian; Polish Holstein-Friesian breed). The following were determined for each animal: body weight before slaughter (kg), hot carcass weight (kg), hot carcass quality index (%), carcass conformation class and carcass fatness class according to the EUROP system. The mean body weight of slaughtered animals was found to be 650 kg. Carcass yield of the assessed young cattle was on average 54%. Carcasses of bulls (non-castrated males) were on aver- age 90 kg heavier and had 3 pp. higher carcass yield than carcasses of uncalved females (P < 0.05). The conformation classes of the EUROP system showed that almost 48% of the carcasses of young Limousine bulls reached the highest classes, i.e. E− and U. Limousine bulls (57.2%) had the highest carcass yield among the determined genotypic groups. The desired lowest degree of fatness was found in carcasses of bulls of all genotypes (an average of 2.9 points).