Growth and development of water buffalo and Friesian cross-bred cattle, with special reference to growth and distribution of carcass muscle and bone

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Abstract
SUMMARY: Right sides of carcasses of 12 buffalo, nine ½ Friesian ( Friesian x Egyptian Baladi) and nine ¾ Friesian ( Friesian x ½ Friesian) bulls slaughtered over the body-weight ranges 161–560 kg for buffaloes and 176–448 kg for cattle were cut according to the Chicago style of cutting. Allometric growth pattern and distribution of muscle and bone in the various cuts were examined.Buffaloes were similar to cattle in that muscle and bone in the limbs showed an increasing distoproximal growth gradient. On the ventral line of the trunk, muscles showed an increase in growth impetus from plate to brisket while bone followed a reverse pattern. In buffaloes, growth coefficients of muscle and bone of all dorsal cuts were similar except in the sirloin and chuck where bone was later maturing. In cattle, there appeared a posterior-anterior increase in growth impetus of muscle from the shortloin towards sticking. Within and between genotype-group results indicated that growth of a fatless cut is governed by the growth of its muscle rather than that of its bone.Compared with Friesian crosses, buffaloes had significantly greater percentages of their total muscle and muscle-plus-bone in the expensive cuts. As total muscle weight increased, the proportion of muscle in BLRC (see p. 318) decreased in cattle but remained almost constant in buffaloes. It was concluded that the previously reported inferior carcass composition of buffaloes relative to cattle is compensated by better carcass conformation and tissue distribution of buffaloes.