Abstract
The objective was to evaluate the characteristics of empty body components that are not part of the carcass of steers surgically or immunologically castrated. Forty-eight Aberdeen Angus calves were used and monitored since six months of age and 160 kg of average weight. The animals were divided into the following treatments: surgically castrated at birth; Surgically castrated at weaning; Immunocastrated with three doses immunocastrated of vaccine (6th, 9th and 14th months of age of the animals) and immunocastrated with four doses (6th, 7th, 10th and 15th months of age of the animals). The experimental design used was the completely randomized. During the slaughter, all internal and external components of animal body were separated and weighed individually. The total internal organs, expressed in percentage of empty body weight, differed between the two protocols of immunocastration, with superiority when it was applied four doses (3.61 vs. 3.39 kg). Steers castrated at birth deposited more cardiac, kidney and pelvic fat, and fat of the gastrointestinal tract that immunocastrated with three doses, regardless of how it was expressed. Surgical castration at birth promotes greater deposition of visceral fat at the slaughtered in young steers in relation to immunocastration with definitive dosage at nine months of age.
Keywords:
animal welfare; empty body weight; visceral fat; vital organs