engleski

Comparison of Hereford and Hereford × Charolais bulls in conventional beef production in Croatia

Beef production is a very important part of animal production in Croatia. It is constantly faced with the problem of small number and poor quality of calves for beef production. One of the solutions is to produce more crossbreed calves and choose appropriate genotype considering production technology. The aim of this research was to determine production characteristics of Hereford bulls and crossbreed Hereford × Charolais bulls in conventional fattening conditions. Twenty-five Hereford and twenty-five crossbreed Hereford × Charolais bulls were used in the study. The bulls were fattened in the same housing and feeding conditions, fed ad libitum with diet based on maize silage and concentrates. The bulls were slaughtered at the age of 15±0.2 months according to the standard procedure. Carcasses were chilled under commercial conditions at 4 °C/24 h. EUROP conformation score of carcass and subcutaneous fat thickness were determined at 24 h post-mortem. Subcutaneous fat thickness was measured with a calliper over the 12th rib of the m. longissimus dorsi. Minolta Chroma CR-410 colorimeter was used in order to evaluate meat colour. Statistical analysis was performed using the General Linear Model. Average daily gains during fattening period were greater in crossbreed Hereford × Charolais bulls than in Hereford bulls (977 vs 1, 031.5 g ; P<0.05). Hereford bulls reached lower final live weight (452 vs 472 kg ; P<0.05) and hot carcass weight (270 vs 281 kg ; P<0.05) than crossbreed Hereford × Charolais. Dressing percentages of Hereford bulls and crossbreed Hereford × Charolais (59.7 vs 59.5%) were not significantly different. Subcutaneous fat thickness was greater (+4.1 mm ; P<0.001) in Herefords than crossbreed bulls. No significant influence of breed on meat colour was observed. The results confirm good performance of Hereford bulls and Hereford × Charolais crossbreed bulls for beef production.

Hereford, carcass quality, beef quality

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