THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT FACTORS ON BULLS CARCASS CONFORMATION CLASS IN LITHUANIA.

The aim of this study was to identify the influence of cattle breed, age, live weight, carcass weight, and yield on beef carcass conformation class. The electronic databases from “Meat master” program, operated in Lithuanian slaughterhouses, were used in this study. The data, without being tied to one of them, taken from 75 bulls’ classified carcasses, were divided into 5 (EUROP) conformation classes. Before slaughtering bulls according to their age were divided into 2 age categories A (up to 24 months) and B (over 24 months). Study results shown that bulls carcasses, included into supreme (E & U) conformation classes were obtained from specialized beef breeds (mostly Aubrac, or their crossbreds). It was detected that carcasses assessed by the lowest (O and P) conformation classes, bulls, mothers and fathers most frequently (79.7%) were obtained from a Lithuanian black and white and Lithuanian red breed cattle and their crossbreds; only 20.3% of the slaughtered bull parents were specialized beef (Charolais, Limousin, Simmental beef) breeds. Bulls, whose carcasses were evaluated with the excellent (E) conformation class, were 9.4 months (P ≤ 0.001) older than those with the lowest rate – poor (P) class. B category live cattle before slaughter were in 142 kg heavier (P ≤ 0.004), their carcass weight was in 130 kg more (P ≤ 0.0001), and carcass yield in 6.69% (P ≤ 0.001) greater than A. This study showed that beef carcass conformation class related to carcass weight. Increasing in carcass conformation class (from P to E) lifted carcass weight (from 250.7 kg. up to 399.1 kg.), as well as carcass yield percentage (on average about 3% for each of the class). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]