Influence of cattle breed and ageing time on textural meat quality.

An experiment was carried out using 7 month old male calves from four different breeds: 10 Spanish Holstein (dairy), 10 Old Brown Swiss (dual purpose), 10 Limousin (fast growth) and 10 Blonde d'Aquitaine (high muscularity). They were all fed concentrate and cereal straw ad libitum. Animals were slaughtered at usual commercial weights for the Spanish market depending on the growth and precocity of each breed (500 kg liveweight at slaughter for Holstein, 550 kg for Old Brown Swiss, 560 kg for Limousin and 620 kg for Blonde d'Aquitaine, with an age between 13 and 15 months). There were significant differences (P<0.001) among breeds in the quantity of total and insoluble collagen in the Longissimus thoracis and lumborum muscle, but collagen solubility was similar (41-44%), except for muscle from the Old Brown Swiss (33%; P<0.001). Overall, breeds specialized for beef production (Limousin and Blonde d'Aquitaine) had lower values for compression and WB in raw and heated meat, respectively, for ageing periods of less than a week. Ageing had a larger effect on myofibrillar tenderness than breed and tended to eliminate the breed effect on textural variables, as well as individual differences within each breed.