Leather quality of beefalo‐Nellore cattle in different production systems |
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| Authors: | Luís Carlos Vinhas Ítavo Rodrigo Gonçalves Mateus Camila Celeste Brandão Ferreira Ítavo Alexandre Menezes Dias Fabio Candal Gomes Fabiano Ferreira da Silva Alex Resende Schio Eriklis Nogueira Hélène Véronique Petit |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Programa de Pós‐gradua??o em Ciência Animal (FAMEZ/UFMS), Campo Grande, MS, Brasil;2. Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Programa de Pós‐gradua??o em Ciências ambientais e Sustentabilidade agropecuária, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil;3. Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB), Itapetinga, Bahia, BA, Brasil;4. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Pantanal, Corumbá, MS, Brasil;5. Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada, Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada |
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| Abstract: | The aim was to compare the effects of two production systems on performance, carcass traits and physical‐mechanical characteristics of leather from Beefalo‐Nellore steers and heifers and to determine if the response to the production system was similar for both genders. A total of 40 Beefalo‐Nellore cattle, 20 steers and 20 heifers, were evaluated. Animals were divided into two production systems: slaughtered at 15 (intensive system) or 26 (extensive system) months of age. In the intensive system, all animals received a ration containing 600 g/kg corn silage and 400 g/kg concentrate. In the extensive system, animals were kept on a pasture predominantly based on Brachiaria sp. and supplemented with 2 kg/day concentrate. In the intensive system, there was no difference in slaughter weight (470 kg body weight) between steers and heifers but steers in the extensive system had greater slaughter weight than heifers (463 and 428 kg body weight, respectively). Leather weight was higher for animals in the intensive than extensive system but there was no difference in leather weight once excess fat was removed. Leather quality from Beefalo‐Nellore cattle slaughtered at 15 or 26 months of age is similar although carcass yield is higher for cattle slaughtered at a younger age. |
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| Keywords: | cattle production system leather quality tanning tearing tensile strength |
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