We compared fat distribution and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in steers differing in adaptability to the subtropics. Steers were fed a grain diet (3.13 Mcal ME/kg DM) at limited (150 kcal ME x kg[-.75] x d[-1]; .23 kg ADG) or ad libitum levels for 140 d, then slaughtered. Sixteen British- (8 Angus, 8 Hereford; S), 16 Boran- (R), 16 Brahman- (B), and 16 Tuli- (T) cross steers from MARC III ...

Mass selection for an index of increased postweaning average daily gain and decreased backfat thickness was practiced for five generations. Litter size and weight for 221 gilt litters, birth weight and nipple number for 2,242 piglets and weaning weight at 42 d of age for 2,111 pigs were recorded. Carcass measurements were taken on 331 pigs. Differences between means of the lines (select control...

Ninety-two swine averaging 104 +/- 4.5 kg and 99 cold carcasses averaging 75 +/- 3.1 kg were measured with a four-terminal plethysmograph. Pigs were transported to the abattoir, fasted 4 h, weighted, and measured for body resistance (Rs, omega), body reactance (Xc, omega), and distance (L, cm) between detector terminals that were located along the dorsal axis of the animal. Pigs were slaughtere...

Growth and carcass measurements were made on 2,411 Hereford steers slaughtered at a constant weight from a designed reference sire program involving 137 sires. A second data set consisted of ultrasound measures of backfat (USFAT) and longissimus muscle area (USREA) from 3,482 yearling Hereford cattle representing 441 sires. Restricted maximum likelihood procedures were used to estimate genetic ...

Fat thickness including skin and muscle depth measured on the left carcass side between the second and third from the last rib 70 mm off the dorsal midline were measured in a total of 168 pig hybrid carcasses. The lean meat content was then determined on the basis of simplified dissections of the carcasses. Multiple regressions of the measurements of the fat and muscle thickness on the lean mea...

Genetic correlations between performance traits with meat quality and carcass traits were estimated on 6,408 commercial crossbred pigs with performance traits recorded in production systems with 2,100 of them having meat quality and carcass measurements. Significant fixed effects (company, sex and batch), covariates (birth weight, cold carcass weight, and age), random effects (additive, litter ...

The objective of this experiment was to study the usefulness of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in determining soft tissue composition (STC) and carcass fat-free mass (CFFM) of Holstein steers at different ages. Growth data and prediction of STC and CFFM were determined for four groups of Holstein steers: 12 of 3 mo, 12 of 6 mo, 15 of 9 mo, and 16 of 12 mo of age. Average weight for anim...

The effect of selection for growth rate on relative growth of the rabbit body components was studied. Animals from the 18th generation of a line selected for growth rate were compared with a contemporary control group formed with offspring of embryos that were frozen at the seventh generation of selection of the same line. A total of 313 animals were slaughtered at 4, 9, 13, 20, and 40 wk old. ...

OBJECTIVE Fresh sugarcane has been a new roughage source for ruminant's in semiarid regions, a function of the decline of sugar and alcohol industry in recent years. However, there is little data published regarding lambs fed sugarcane associated with spineless cactus. This study evaluated the effect of sugarcane replacement with spineless cactus (0%, 33%, 66%, and 100%) in the diet of Santa In...

Stud breeders, farmers and meat traders have considered carcass conformation or shape in sheep an important trait. This trait can be assessed on either carcasses or live animals for slaughter and breeding. Nevertheless, there is no single universally accepted de®nition of the term carcass conformation across the sheep industry. The use of the word carcass conformation in the sheep industry is f...