Effect of production system on performance traits, carcass and meat quality in Brown Swiss young cattle

Performance, carcass and meat quality were assessed in 3 groups of Brown Swiss male calves, all of them suckled by their dams: groups M200 and M250 were exclusively milk-fed and slaughtered at 200 or 250 kg, respectively, and G400 group was supplemented with grain and slaughtered at 400 kg after a short finishing period. Increasing weight in milk-fed animals led to an increase in dressing percentage and conformation score, and a decrease in muscle content with an increase in dissectible fat in the rib, with no repercussions on meat quality. G400 group showed higher values in compactness index, percentage of high-priced cuts and dissectible fat content than the lighter milk-fed groups. Regarding meat quality, the only remarkable difference in grain-fed animals was a higher a* index, with no detectable differences in sensory traits.