An evaluation of the growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of Sahiwal-Friesian cross bulls

Sahiwal-Friesian cross (Sa-X) bulls (n = 39) were run with Friesian (Fr) bulls (n = 40), Hereford-Friesian cross (He-X) bulls (n = 39), and either Charolais-cross (year 1) or Simmental-cross steers (n = 40) in an all-pasture system on hill country in New Zealand from an age of about 4 months. The heavier half of each group was slaughtered at an age of about 20 months and the remainder at about 28 months. The Sa-X bulls along with the two other bull groups grew faster than the steers, but within the bull groups the Sa-X group grew more slowly over some periods. Differences in dressing-out percentage between the groups were small, but slightly higher for the Sa-X group relative to the Fr bulls. All bull groups were less fat than the steers, and the Sa-X bulls had more kidney and pelvic fat than the Fr bulls. Beef from the M. longissimus thoracis of Sa-X bulls was tougher (higher shear force values) than that from the other two bull groups, but not significantly different from beef of the steers. These differences in shear force were associated with differences in ultimate pH, with mean values for the steers being lower than the Sa-X bulls, which were lower than for the other two bull groups. After adjustment for pH differences, Warner-Bratzler peak force values remained higher for the Sa-X group, but there were no differences between the other three groups. Shear force values for the 28-month age group were higher than for the 20-month group both before and after adjustment for pH differences. These patterns were similar for meat aged for either 1 or 20 days. It is concluded that that Sa-X bulls will grow slightly more slowly than Fr or He-X bulls on hill country, and that beef from such bulls is more likely to be tough.