The objective of this work was to study the carcass and meat characteristics of Hereford steers, finished in feedlot for 112 days and fed with 33% concentrate and 67% chopped sugar cane or corn silage diets, containing 12% of crude protein. Twelve steers, with 20 months of age, were used. Slaughter weight, hot carcass weight and cold carcass weight were higher for steers fed corn silage, being, respectively, 446, 230 and 227 kg vs 421, 211 and 208 kg, in the same order, for animals fed chopped sugar cane. No significant differences among treatments were observed for cold dressing percentage, chilling loss and commercial cuts percentage. Carcass length was higher for steers fed corn silage (125 vs 122 cm), but the roughage source did not affect the carcass conformation, fat thickness, longissimus dorsi area, as well as carcass muscle and bone percentages, being the averages of the two treatments, for these this characteristics, respectively, 9.5 points, 5.04 mm, 58.1 cm², 63.7 and 15.4%. Steers fed corn silage showed higher fat percentage (23.2 vs 20.6%). No significant difference were observed for meat color, texture, marbling, Shear value, tenderness and cooking loss, but the thawing loss was higher for steers fed chopped sugar cane (6.10 vs 3.69%).
corn silage; dressing percentage; forage quality; meat quality; chopped sugar cane
