Carcass traits, fatty acid profile of beef, and beef quality of Nellore and Angus x Nellore crossbred young bulls finished in a feedlot

The objective of this study was to evaluate carcass traits, fatty acid profile of longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle, and beef quality (shear force and color traits) of Nellore (NEL) and Angus x Nellore (AN) crossbred young bulls finished in feedlot. For this end, 25 Nellore (Initial body weight IBW = 344.4 +/- 30 kg) and 25 Angus x Nellore crossbreed bulls (IBW = 426.5 +/- 27 kg) were evaluated. The AN animals had higher final body weight (FBW), average daily gain of carcass (ADGc), hot carcass weight (HCW), rib-eye area (REA), and final pH in LT muscle, while NEL had higher subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) (P < 0.01). The LT muscle of NEL had lower concentrations of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and higher concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and poliunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) besides a higher & UDelta;9-desaturase index (P < 0.05). There was a difference in color traits between breeds and among aging time points (P < 0.05). Shear force was influenced only by aging time (P < 0.05). The crossbred animals showed improved quantitative carcass traits compared to purebred Nellore animals. Breed has the potential to change muscle FA profile. The crossbred animals were not able to produce a more tender beef when compared to NEL.