SLAUGHTER VALUE AND MEAT QUALITY OF INDUCED CRYPTO-ORCHIDS

It was found in the course of two experiments with 33 artificially induced crypto-orchids and 36 bulls and with 50 artificial crypto-orchids and 90 bulls of Bohemian pied breed, which had been slaughtered at a hot carcase weight of roughly 300, 330 or 380 kg, that crypto-orchids as compared with bulls had 2.0 to 3.8% higher gains during fattening, a lower yield of pelvic and kidney fat and of fat trimmings with a higher yield of boneless and bone-in meat. The differences were however usually statistically not significant. Considerable differences in pH48 values were found during chemico-physical examination of samples of roast beef. The artificial crypto-orchids had statistically certain lower pH48 values than the bulls and this had a positive influence on other quality characteristics of the meat. The reason for this is thought to be the different sexual behaviour and lower stress sensitivity of the crypto-orchids, particularly during antemortem treatment. It can be assumed that the fattening of artificial crypto-orchids could be of interest to agriculture and to the meat industry.