Bruising and muscle pH in zebu crossbred and British breed cattle

Five trials in Queensland compared the bruising of 302 zebu (Bos indicus) crossbred and 254 British breed (B taurus) steers. The pH of the Longissimus dorsi muscle 24 hours post mortem was measured in three of the trials. Breed groups were transported separately to the abattoir in the first four trials and travelled as mixed breed groups in the fifth one. Differences in bruising between breed types were not significant in any trial. Zebu crossbred animals had significantly (P less than 0.05) lower muscle pH values in trials 1 and 3, whereas the difference was not significant in trial 5. There were also fewer dark cutters among the zebu crossbred animals in trials 1, 3 and 5.