The aim of this study was to assess the influence of fluvial transport on the incidence of bruising in cattle meat slaughtered in Pantanal (tropical wetland in South America), Mato Grosso do Sul state, by quantifying, in the traditional Brazilian commercial cuts, the number and size of bruises as well as their age based on when they occurred and where the lesions are located. From a total of 88 carcasses assessed, 83 (94.3%) had one or more bruises, totaling 253 bruises, which resulted in the removal of 39.988 kg meat, with a general mean of 0.454 kg by animal. Regarding the size of bruises, the highest means were found in animals submitted to conditions I and II. The animals submitted to condition II presented the highest means of bruise age. A difference was established among the conditions assessed in terms of frequency of bruises in the commercial cuts. The results show that the system of cattle transport in Pantanal influenced the incidence of bruises. The increase of the distance spent for the transport associated to animals fasting from the farm to the slaughterhouse resulted in a higher number of bruises although smaller.
pre-slaughter handling; fluvial transport
