Allometric study of lamb carcass cuts from crosses between Dorper and the local breeds Rabo Largo and Santa Inês

Abstract

The goal of the present work was to evaluate the differential growth of carcass cuts (shoulder, leg, rack, rib/flanks and loin) of F1 Dorper x Rabo Largo and Dorper x Santa Inês lambs in relation to cooled carcass weight and empty body weight. Twenty lambs (10 males and 10 females) from each genetic group, raised at Estação Experimental de Jaguaquara, belonging to the Empresa Baiana de Desenvolvimento Agrícola S.A. – EBDA, at five slaughter periods, were used: 84 (weaning), 126, 168, 220 and 272 days old. Statistical analyses to obtain the allometric coefficients were performed via regression analysis. The growths of neck, shoulder, leg, rack, rib/flanks, and loin in the DRL and DSI genetic groups were similar and, mostly, proportional to cooled carcass weight and empty body weight. The exceptions was the development of both shoulder and rib/flanks, since the former was precocious based on the cooled carcass weight within DRL and rib/flanks presented a late growth in relation to cooled carcass weight and empty body weight within DSI. This result suggests that either cooled carcass weight as empty body weight can be used to estimate the development of the major cuts in lambs from Dorper x Rabo Largo and Dorper x Santa Inês crosses.