Carcass performance of cows, heifers and bulls fattened to pasture in the savanna ecosystem

A group of purebred Brahman cull heifers (n = 22) and cows (n = 19) were fattened on pasture (165 days) along with Zebu-type bulls (n = 20) to compare their carcass traits, fabrication yield and meat palatability traits. Bulls significantly outperformed females in carcass weight and dressing percentage, conformation and fat cover ratings, and ribeye size. Heifers graded better than cows (P 0.05) from bulls in weights of tenderloin, sirloin, top round, bottom round, and low-value cuts (skirts and ribplate). Loin steaks from cows had lower shear force values (P