Comparative study of buffalo meat and beef

The aim of the experiment described in this paper was to compare buffalo and cattle breeds for meat production. Bulls and steers of both species were compared. Buffaloes and cattle were of comparable conformation on a weight to length ratio basis when slaughtered at the same liveweight. Apart from sex and weight effects, species did affect the conformation and growth of live animals, the largest differences between species being evident in the younger animals. As regards slaughter characteristics, although differences in carcass yield were slight between species, systematic differences appeared, with a higher head and skin weight for buffaloes. A higher proportion of fat was noted in the 11th rib joint of buffaloes than of cattle at the lighter weights but the difference between species lessened with slaughter weight. As far as meat quality is concerned, two major effects of species on muscle pH (24 h post slaughter) and the shear strength of raw muscle were noted. Buffaloes, which had a lower muscle pH than cattle, displayed a significantly smaller amount of collagen in the muscles studied, but the species did not differ significantly in the degree of intramuscular collagen crosslinking.