Crecimiento y caracteristicas de la canal en añojos de la raza rubia gallega. Rendimientos y composicion de la canalLive animal growing and carcass characteristics in rubia gallega steers. Dressing and carcass components

Abstract

Having controlled the growth of 16 steers of Rubia Gallega breed since they were six months old, they are slaughtered at the average age of 14.5 months; the dressed carcass are quartered and we proceed to the whole complete dissection of every market retail-cuts. It seems to be deduced an independency between the defining characteristics of the growth (average dailygain, efficiency daily gain and feed efficiency) and the quantitative carcass components. The mean dressing percentage of carcass is estimated at 61.07%; and the means of muscle, bone and fat as weight carcass percentages were 74.01 %, 15.99% and 8.57% respectively; and the muscle¬bone ratio risingto 4.68. The heaviest retail-cuts for market purposes were the rump steak and the loin belonging to first A category, chuck and cross rib of first B and the shanks of second category, which joints were 27.36% of the whole lean dressed carcass. The relative growth of the different retail-cuts, grouped according to the different anatomic regions and in relation with the total lean weight of dressed carcass showed a 0.94 rate for the fore member and 0.88 for the rear member, 1.22 for the dorsal region, 1,15 for the thoracico-abdominal and rates of 1.09, 0.90 and 0.86 for the cervical, lumbar and sacral regions respectively.