Effects of pre-slaughter cattle management on postmortem tenderization of beef

Two independent studies were used to investigate the effects of pre-slaughter cattle management on postmortem tenderization of beef. In experiment I, relationships between behavioral and physiological symptoms of pre-slaughter stress and beef LM tenderness were examined using calf-fed steers (n = 79) and heifers (n = 77). Pen, chute, and post-transportation behavior scores were assigned to each animal. Physiological indicators of stress included cortisol, epinephrine, creatine kinase, lactate, glucose, heart rate, respiration rate, and rectal temperature.;Positive correlations (P < 0.05) between behavior scores and physiological parameters indicated that cattle that exhibited behavioral symptoms of stress also responded physiologically. Mean Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) was positively correlated (P < 0.05) with all 3 measures of stressful behavior (r ≥ 0.23). Plasma lactate concentration at slaughter was associated (P < 0.05) with mean WBSF and response to postmortem aging.;In Experiment II, effects of genotype and implant program on LM and gluteus muscle (GM) postmortem tenderization were investigated using crossbred steer (n = 185) and heifer (n = 158) calves. The 3-marker GeneSTAR Tenderness panel was used to determine each animal's genotype. Calves were assigned to 1 of 2 implant programs, conventional or delayed.;Steaks from conventionally implanted cattle had WBSF values that were approximately 0.2 kg higher (P < 0.05) than steaks from animals that received a single delayed implant, but only during the early postmortem period (3 to 7 d). For both muscles, a linear effect of genotype on WBSF was detected (P < 0.05). Steaks from cattle with most desirable genotype had WBSF values 0.33 kg lower than steaks from cattle with the least desirable genotype. Pre-slaughter factors (sex, implant program, and genotype) controlled in Experiment II each accounted for less than 10% of the explained variation in tenderness of the experimental population.;Results of Experiment I identified behavioral and physiological symptoms of acute pre-slaughter stress that were associated with pH-independent differences in tenderness. Findings from Experiment II suggest that pre-slaughter cattle management can impact beef tenderness, but the factors evaluated only accounted for a small proportion of variation in beef tenderness for the experimental population.