The objective of this work was to study the carcass and meat characteristics of Mediterranean buffalos, finished in feedlot for 112 days and fed with 33% concentrate and 67% chopped sugar cane or corn silage diets, containing 12% of crude protein. Twelve buffalos steers, with 20 months of age, were used. Slaughter weight, hot carcass weight and cold carcass weight were similar between the treatments, being, respectively, 363.7, 181.8 and 179.9 kg, for animals fed with chopped sugar cane, and 361.3, 186.8 and 184.2 kg, in the same order, for buffalos fed with corn silage. Buffalos fed with corn silage showed higher cold dressing percentage than the animals fed with chopped sugar cane (51.7 vs. 49.9%). No difference was observed for carcass commercial cuts percentage, as well as for carcass development measures between the animals of the two treatments. Treatment did not affect carcass conformation, longissimus dorsi area, as well as carcass muscle and bone percentages, being the averages of the two treatments, for these characteristics, respectively, 9.0 points, 52.1 cm², 62.8 and 16.5%. The buffalos showed an average carcass fat percentage of 20.8% and 2.96 mm of subcutaneous fat thickness. No significant difference was observed for meat color, texture, marbling, Shear value, tenderness and cooking loss, but the thawing loss was higher, and the flavor and juiciness were superior for animals fed with chopped sugar cane.
buffalos carcass; buffalos meat; corn silage; meat quality; chopped sugar cane
