Forty-four young bulls of herds selected for weight at 378 days of age (W378), born in 1995, were confined at the Sertãozinho Experimental Station, São Paulo State, Brazil. The samples, representing the W378 overall mean for each herd, were formed by 8 Guzera bulls (GuS) and by 9 bulls of each one of the groups Gir (Gi), Nelore (NeS), Nelore Control (NeC) and Caracu (Ca). The slaughter was carried out when the animals were at 580 days of age, with a body condition score averaging 8, in a 1-9 scale. The minimum and maximum adjusted means for the main traits, including all groups, were: average daily gain: 817 (NeC) and 1,061 g (Ca); slaughter weight (SW): 408.3 (Gi) and 513.6 kg (Ca); carcass weight: 230.2 (Gi) and 285.0 kg (Ca); dressing percentage (DP): 55.6 (GuS) and 58.1% (NeC). In the 9th-11th rib section: muscle: 55.7 (NeC) and 64.7% (Ca); fat: 18.6 (Ca) and 26.9% (NeC); bone: 16.7 (Ca) and 19.2% (Gi); fat thickness (FT): 6.4 (Ca) and 7.5 mm (GuS); loin eye area: 62.8 (Gi) and 76.6 cm² (Ca); Warner-Bratzler shear force: 4.4 (Ca) and 5.4 kg (Gi); total cooking losses: 23.4 (NeC) and 26.1% (Ca). Considering the Nelore group, the selection for weight increased the slaughter and carcass weights without altering dressing percentage, physical composition of the rib or carcass and meat quality. Ca bulls had higher SW, although smaller DP. GuS presented higher FT and both groups, Ca and GuS, had higher proportion of muscle and longissimus dorsi area. Ca animals also presented smaller levels for fat and fat thickness. Differences in shear force and cooking losses were not observed among genetic groups.
body composition; dressing percentage; Gir; Guzera; meat tenderness; Nellore; shear force
