Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28946
Title: | The incidence of dark cutting in southern Australian beef production systems fluctuates between months | Contributor(s): | McGilchrist, P (author) ; Perovic, J L (author); Gardner, G E (author); Pethick, D W (author); Jose, C G (author) | Publication Date: | 2014 | DOI: | 10.1071/AN14356 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28946 | Abstract: | Dark cutting is detrimental to meat quality and therefore is the major cause of carcass downgrades under the Meat Standards Australia grading system. This study quantified the variation between months in the incidence of dark cutting, in southern Australia. Four years of Meat Standards Australia grading data, from nine individual beef processors in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, was utilised for the analysis. The dataset contained 42 162 slaughter groups, of 10 or more grass-fed cattle, which allowed for the percentage of dark cutters per slaughter group to be analysed. The interaction between month, year and state was significant (P<0.001). The lowest risk of dark cutting for South Australia and Western Australia was in October (1.53%±0.75 and 6.96%±0.76) and November in Tasmania and Victoria (7.34%±0.9 and 5.27%±0.81) potentially when feed availability and quality is highest. The incidence of dark cutting was highest for all states during the period from February to June. Lower pasture availability and quality in combination with higher levels of stress due to extreme high or low temperatures during this time could all contribute to the higher incidences. The findings of this study show that procurement and management decisions made by cattle buyers, producers and processors need to change throughout the year to help mitigate the incidence of dark cutting carcasses and reduce financial loss. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Animal Production Science, 54(10), p. 1765-1769 | Publisher: | CSIRO Publishing | Place of Publication: | Australia | ISSN: | 1836-5787 1836-0939 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 070203 Animal Management | Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 300302 Animal management | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 830599 Primary Animal Products not elsewhere classified 830301 Beef Cattle |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 100401 Beef cattle | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Environmental and Rural Science |
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