Cruzamento industrial sobre as características de carcaça e da carne de novilhas precoces = Industrial crossbreeds on carcass and meat characteristics of veal heifers

O experimento foi realizado com o objetivo de comparar as caracteristicas de carcaca e da carne de 18 novilhas dos cruzamentos comerciais: . Nelore . Limousin (L), . Limousin . Red Angus . Nelore (LR), e . Red Angus . Nelore (RNR). As novilhas foram confinadas aos 18 meses de idade, com media de peso de 280 ± 8,4 kg, durante112 dias. Apos o abate e resfriamento das carcacas foram avaliados: rendimento (RC), area de olho de lombo (AOL), espessura de coxao (EC), cobertura de gordura (CG), comprimento de carcaca e perna, percentagem de musculo, ossos e gordura. Das amostras do Longissimus dorsi foram analisados a composicao centesimal, o pH, a perda de agua, a forca de cisalhamento (FC), o comprimento de sarcomero (CS) e o indice de fragmentacao miofibrilar (IFM). Os dados obtidos foram submetidos a analise de variancia, e as medias comparadas pelo teste de Tukey a 5% de significancia. O cruzamento LR apresentou asmelhores caracteristicas de carcaca e de carne com 54,72% de RC; 27,87 cm de EC; 4,53 cm de CG; 63,65 cm2 de AOL; 64,58% de carne magra; 26,63% de perda de agua; pH de 5,72; 2,49 kg de FC; 1,91 .m de CS; e 83,59 de IFM.The experiment was carried out with the objective of comparing carcass and meat characteristics of 18 heifers from the following industrial crossbreeds: . Nelore . Limousin (L), . Limousin . Red Angus . Nelore (LR), and . Red Angus . Nelore (RNR). The heifers were confined at 18 months of age, weighing 280 } 8.4 kg, during 112 days. After slaughter and carcass cooling, the following traits were evaluated: carcass yield (CY); rib eye area (REA); cushion thickness(CT); fat thickness (FT); carcass length (CL) and leg length (LL); muscle, bone and fat percentages. From Longissimus dorsi muscle samples, the following traits were evaluated: proximate composition; pH; water loss; shear force (SF); sarcomere length (SL); myofibrilfragmentation index (MFI). The data were submitted to analysis of variance and the means were compared by Tukeyfs test at 5% significance. The LR crossbreed showed the best carcass and meat characteristics, with CY=54.72%, CT=27.87 cm, FT=4.53 cm, REA=63.65 cm2, lean meat=64.58%, water loss=26.63%, pH=5.72; SF=2.49 kg, SL=1.91 .m and MFI=83.59