A total of 200 Bos indicus/Bos taurus cross steers were allocated to control (CON) and an oestradiol (OES) implant treatments and pasture finished for 389 days. Longissimus lumborum (LL) and gluteus medius (GM) samples were aged for 5 and 35 days. Live weight, carcass weight and ossification scores (P < 0.05) increased in OES relative to CON. The three-way interaction between treatment, days aged and muscle was significant (P < 0.05) for tenderness, overall liking and meat palatability, whereby the OES had lower scores relative to CON at 5 days in LL (P < 0.05), although the difference halved by 35 days. For the GM, OES scores at 5 days were lower than CON (P < 0.05), apart from like flavour, and differences reduced by 35 days. LL shear force was higher for OES at 5 days (P < 0.05), though not 35 days (P > 0.05), or the GM at 5 or 35 days (P > 0.05). OES samples had a higher calpastatin activity (P < 0.05) in the LL at 19 h post mortem.
Keywords: Beef eating quality; Calpastatin activity; Consumer sensory scores; Shear force; Tenderness.
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