The experiment was carried out with 20 Holstein intact male calves to study the carcass characteristics of these animals fed with diets containing 45, 60, 75 and 90% of concentrate. Diets were composed of coastcross hay, ground corn grain, soybean meal and mineral mixture fed ad libitum. A completely randomized blocks experimental design, with four treatments and five replications, was used. Before the beginning of the experiment, all animals were submitted to the same nursing system. The experimental period was different for each treatment, since the animals were slaughtered as they reached the average live weight of 200 kg. Before the slaughter, the animals were fasted for 16 hours. The left half carcasses were used to measure the loin eye area, length of carcass and their physical composition, and on the right half carcasses the basic cuts were made. The hot and cold carcass yields based on the live weight of the animals and the hot carcass yield based on the empty body weight and the loin eye area showed differences as the levels of concentrate in the diets increased. There were no significant differences for final live weight, hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, cold carcass dressing based on the empty body weight, neither regarding the losses of weight of carcasses caused by the fasting period before slaughter, nor the basic cuts and nor the fore and hind quarter dressing.
carcass; Holstein calves; levels of concentrate; physical composition; veal calves
