The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the carcass and meat characteristics of Hereford (H), 5/8 H 3/8 Nellore (N), 1/2 H 1/2 N and 1/4 H 3/4 N steers, feedlot finished, from 20 to 24 months of age. Twenty-four steers randomly taken from the same herd were used. The diet contained, in a dry matter basis, 12.7% of crude protein and 57.5:42.5% forage:concentrate ratio. The forage was composed by corn silage + sugar cane (relation 1:1). The slaughter and cold carcass weights were higher for 1/2 H 1/2 N steers (443 and 236 kg) followed by 5/8 H 3/8 N (426 and 225 kg). The cold carcass dressing percentage increased as the proportion of N increased, being 48.91, 52.74, 53.37 and 54.23%, respectively. There was no difference for subcutaneous fat thickness, bone, muscle and fat percentage in the carcass. The meat tenderness decreased with the increase of Nellore proportion in the genotype.
Bos indicus; Bos taurus; feedlot; crossbreeding; meat tenderness; dressing percentage
