Table 6.
Ultrasound measurement, carcass composition and meat quality of steers received different doses of vitamin A treatments at birth
| Response | 0 IU (n = 9) |
150,000 IU (n = 7) |
300,000 IU (n = 9) |
SE | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultrasound at transition to the finishing stage | |||||
| IMF, % | 3.95b | 4.93a | 4.34ab | 0.26 | 0.036 |
| Rib fat, cm | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.41 | 0.03 | 0.659 |
| Rump fat, cm | 0.53 | 0.53 | 0.43 | 0.05 | 0.240 |
| REA, cm2 | 53.5 | 56.1 | 58.3 | 2.21 | 0.337 |
| Carcass characteristics | |||||
| Carcass weight, kg | 341.0 | 357.0 | 349.5 | 3.87 | 0.527 |
| Dressing percent, % | 59.5 | 59.1 | 59.8 | 0.29 | 0.468 |
| Marbling score* | 583.3b | 671.7a | 610.0ab | 20.20 | 0.016 |
| KPH, % | 2.34 | 2.18 | 2.15 | 0.14 | 0.661 |
| REA, cm2 | 82.2 | 85.6 | 84.2 | 3.87 | 0.565 |
| Back fat, cm | 1.29 | 1.46 | 1.27 | 0.06 | 0.421 |
| Yield grade | 3.02 | 3.16 | 2.96 | 0.09 | 0.921 |
| Meat quality | |||||
| Cooking loss, % | 20.3 | 20.6 | 21.5 | 1.28 | 0.793 |
| SSF, kg | 8.45 | 10.27 | 9.66 | 1.12 | 0.637 |
| Meat composition | |||||
| CP% | 23.4 | 23.3 | 23.9 | 0.38 | 0.438 |
| IMF% | 6.33 | 7.49 | 6.94 | 0.69 | 0.572 |
*500 = small 0; 600 = modest 0; 700 = moderate 0
a-bMeans in the same row with different letters differ significantly (P < 0.05)