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Bone weight distribution in steer carcasses of different breeds and crosses, and the prediction of carcass bone content from the bone content of joints

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

A. J. Kempster ,
A. Cuthbertson  and
D. W. Jones
A. J. Kempster
Affiliation:
Meat and Livestock Commission, P.O. Box 44, Queensway House, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK2 2EF
A. Cuthbertson
Affiliation:
Meat and Livestock Commission, P.O. Box 44, Queensway House, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK2 2EF
D. W. Jones
Affiliation:
Meat and Livestock Commission, P.O. Box 44, Queensway House, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK2 2EF
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Summary

Dissection data for 753 steer carcasses from 17 breed-type × feeding system groups were used to examine the distribution of bone weight between 11 standardized commercial joints, and the prediction of bone content in side (half carcass) from the bone content of individual joints. Breed types included Ayrshire, Friesian, Friesian × Ayrshire and crosses out of Friesians by Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, Simmental and South Devon sires. Group means for bone weight in the side ranged from 14·9 to 21·0 kg with a pooled within-group S.D. of 1·97 kg.

The increase in bone weight in each joint relative to that in the side was examined using the allometric equation. Pooled within-group growth coefficients (b values) were lowest for the leg (hind shin) and shin (fore shin) joints (b = 0·86 ± 0·02 and 0·94 ± 0·02 respectively) and highest for the sirloin (b = 1·10 ± 0·05).

At equal total bone weight, there were significant (P < 0·001) but relatively small differences between groups in the weight of bone in each of the joints tested.

Bone weights in the top piece, shin and coast joints gave the most precise prediction of bone weight in the side: the pooled within group residual standard deviations were 0·62, 0·67 and 0·71 kg respectively. The limited variation between groups in bone weight distribution was reflected in the robustness of common prediction equations across groups.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 89 , Issue 3 , December 1977 , pp. 675 - 682
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1977

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