Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used as a noninvasive method to measure the composition of pig carcasses. A total of 181 half-carcasses (10 to 51 kg, from pigs slaughtered at approximately 30, 60, 90, and 120 kg) were scanned using a Lunar (Madison, WI) DPX-L densitometer. The DXA measurements of fat, lean, bone mineral, and total tissue mass were compared with chemical analysis for ...

Feed efficiency is of particular importance to the beef industry, as feed costs represent the single largest variable cost in beef production systems. Selection for more efficient cattle will lead to reduction of feed related costs, but should not have adverse impacts on quality of the carcass. In this study, we evaluated phenotypic and genetic correlations of residual feed intake (RFI), RFI ad...

This is the second in a series of peer-reviewed practice tip articles, each including two or three fact sheets on feed additives for swine. The previous practice tip, published in the September-October issue of the Journal of Swine Health and Production, included fact sheets on acidifi ers and antibiotics (J Swine Health Prod. Future fact-sheet topics will include fl avors; high dietary levels ...

The objectives were to 1) evaluate genetic relationships of sex-specific indicators of carcass merit obtained by using ultrasound with carcass traits of steers; 2) estimate genetic parameters needed to implement combined analyses of carcass and indicator traits to produce unified national cattle evaluations for LM area, subcutaneous fat depth (SQF), and marbling (MRB), with the ultimate goal of...

Meat quality and carcass traits were measured for 2180 feedlot finished Brahman (BRAH) and Tropical Composite (TCOMP) steers to investigate genetic and non-genetic influences on shear force, and other meat quality traits. Genetic and phenotypic correlations were estimated between carcass and meat quality traits, and with live animal measurements collected in steers from weaning to feedlot exit,...

Validation of economic indexes under a controlled experimental environment, can aid in their acceptance and use as breeding tools to increase herd profitability. The objective of this study was to compare intake, growth and carcass traits in bull and steer progeny of high and low ranking sires, for genetic merit in an economic index. The Beef Carcass Index (BCI; expressed in euro (€) and based ...

the possibility of in vivo carcass trait prediction using the ultrasound measurements obtained between 12th and 13th ribs was studied. attention was paid to several carcass traits such as carcass backfat thickness (cbft), carcass longissimus dorsi muscle (clma) and carcass weight (hcw). also, the effects of the flock, as the fixed effects, and body weight (bw), as covariate, on these traits wer...

to investigate the relationship between chemical composition of meat from the carcass cuts and thewhole carcass, 48 nine-month-old randomly selected ram lambs of ghezel and mehraban (24 rams per breed)were used in a trial arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial experiment with two breeds and two feeding levels (high andlow), in a completely randomized design. after 80 days, all animals were slaughtered a...

Body and carcass composition were studied on 10 male and 10 female naturally reared llamas (Lama glama). Half the animals were young (9-12 months) and the other half adult (>3 year). The average live weights for young and adult males were 104.4 and 100.6kg, and for females 67.6 and 104.6kg, respectively. Average carcass weights for the four groups were 58.9, 56.2, 36.8 and 56.7kg, respectively....