Hernandez-Marquez, Zamara I.

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    Efecto de edad a la matanza sobre la calidad de la carne bovina de la raza Senepol criados solo a pastoreo
    (2020-12-11) Hernandez-Marquez, Zamara I.; Rivera-Serrano, Aixa; College of Agricultural Sciences; Casas-Guernica, Américo A.; Chávez-Jáuregui, Rosa N.; Department of Food Science and Technology; González-Miranda, Sally
    The Senepol bovine breed is a meat-type Bos taurus well adapted to the tropical climate, such as that found in Puerto Rico. This breed has proven to be an important addition to the genetic group of cattle that are raised in countries with a tropical climate. Its handling characteristics in the field and good carcass yield have favored it. Nevertheless, there are few publications that show their carcass characteristics and meat quality properties. This study evaluated the beef quality attributes of 26 Senepol intact males slaughtered at 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 months of age to estimate if there is any specific age or range of ages with better quality. Samples were collected from the Longissimus dorsi lumborum (LDL) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles from the left carcass side. Samples were evaluated for: pH, color (levels of L*, a*, b*), raw and cooked tenderness, percentage of intramuscular fat and fatty acid profile. There was an effect of age (P < 0.05) on the acidity of the meat (pH). The animals processed at 8 months of age had the highest average pH of 5.72, while at 16 months the lowest of 5.54. Despite the differences between the ages, the pH is considered to be within the acceptable / normal ranges. Color measurements were analyzed according to their L*, a*, and b* values. In luminosity (L*), there was no difference between the ages at slaughter (P > 0.05). There were differences (P < 0.05) in the value of a*, the 8-month-old animals were those with the lowest red pronunciation and the 16-month-old animals had the lowest intensity. For the value of b* there were differences (P < 0.05) between the slaughter ages, those of 14 months presented a less intense color towards yellow compared to those of 16-month-old who did present to be more intense towards this color. Among the muscles, LDL was less luminous (L*), more intense towards red (a*) and less intense towards yellow (b*) than ST (P < 0.05). The tenderness estimated by WBSF was not affected by the age at slaughter, neither in its raw nor cooked state (P > 0.05). But when comparing the tenderness between the LDL and ST muscles, we found that there were differences between both the raw and the cooked samples (P < 0.05), making LDL as the least tender muscle. On average, Senepol meat presented values of WBS from 4.96 kg up to 5.99 kg, which in the USDA standards would be considered not tender. The percentage of intramuscular fat was not affected by age, nor were there differences between the LDL and ST muscles, remaining on average as lean meat (1.74%). The 10-month-old animals presented the lowest % of intramuscular fat at 1.06% vs those of 14 months that presented the highest with 2.12%. When considering all the evaluated variables, the age at which the best quality of meat was obtained was at 10 months, presenting low pH, the lowest amount of percentage of intramuscular fat and a tendency of the lowest average cooked tenderness. When evaluating the fatty acid profile, it was observed that the Senepol breed has more unsaturated fats than saturated, with presence of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, making it a healthy meat. We can consider Senepol beef as lean, healthy, with a good color and slightly tender.