Table 1.
Descriptive statistics of mean and SD, coefficient of variation in % (CV), additive genetic variance (σa2 ± SE), and heritability (h2 ± SE) of carcass merit and meat quality traits in Canadian beef cattle
| Trait1 | N | Mean (SD) | CV | σa2 ± SE | h2 ± SE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HCW, kg | 1340 | 348.17 (39.06) | 11.22 | 498.21 ± 84.66 | 0.59 ± 0.10 |
| BFAT, mm | 1331 | 10.58 (4.12) | 38.90 | 6.30 ± 1.40 | 0.44 ± 0.10 |
| REA, cm2 | 1331 | 86.74 (10.36) | 11.95 | 37.19 ± 8.37 | 0.35 ± 0.08 |
| LMY, % | 1362 | 58.51 (4.16) | 7.11 | 5.23 ± 1.32 | 0.36 ± 0.09 |
| CMAR | 1309 | 384.50 (68.8) | 17.89 | 1232.53 ± 271.68 | 0.45 ± 0.10 |
| WBSF_ 3d, kg | 1127 | 7.77 (1.71) | 21.99 | 0.49 ± 0.20 | 0.15 ± 0.06 |
| WBSF _29d, kg | 1127 | 4.82 (0.84) | 17.43 | 0.09 ± 0.05 | 0.13 ± 0.07 |
| OT_3d | 1131 | 5.75 (0.95) | 16.53 | 0.30 ± 0.08 | 0.33 ± 0.09 |
| OT_29d | 1132 | 6.69 (0.6) | 9.00 | 0.09 ± 0.03 | 0.24 ± 0.08 |
HCW, kg: Hot carcass weight in kg; BFAT, mm: Backfat thickness in mm; REA,cm2: Rib eye area in cm2; LMY, %:Lean meat yield in %; CMAR: Carcass marbling score; WBSF_ 3d, kg: Warner Bratzler shear force on 1.9 cm cores in kg measured 3 d post mortem; WBSF_ 29d, kg: Warner Bratzler shear force on 1.9 cm cores in kg measured 29 d post mortem; OT_3d: Overall tenderness measured 3 d post mortem with a scale of 9 = extremely tender, 8 = very tender, 7 = moderately tender, 6 = slightly tender, 5 = neither tender nor tough, 4 = slightly tough, 3 = moderately tough, 2 = very tough, 1 = extremely tough; OT_29d: Overall tenderness measured 29 d post mortem using the same scale as OT_3d.