A practical method to prevent dark-cutting (DFD) in beef

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Meat Science
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Dark-cutting beef, a quality defect, is a significant economic concern in the beef industry.
• Understanding pre-slaughter handling factors is crucial for mitigating meat quality issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of social relationships and lairage time on preventing dark-cutting beef.
• To determine optimal pre-slaughter management strategies for bulls.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 2234 bulls under commercial slaughter conditions.
• Statistical analysis to isolate the effects of social group stability and time between loading and slaughter.

Main Results:

• Bulls from socially stable groups exhibited lower ultimate pH (pH24) values compared to unstable groups.
• Early slaughter post-transportation correlated with lower pH24 values.
• Socially unstable groups showed significantly higher pH24 values after overnight lairage.

Conclusions:

• For extended transport, prioritize bulls from loose housing with stable social groups.
• Maintain social group integrity from loading to slaughter, avoiding mixing unfamiliar bulls.
• Process bulls from tethered stalls rapidly post-regrouping to minimize pH elevation.