QUALIDADE DA CARCAÇA E DA CARNE DE NOVILHOS ABATIDOS COM PESOS SIMILARES, TERMINADOS EM DIFERENTES SISTEMAS DE ALIMENTAÇÃO

The objective of this work was to study the carcass and meat characteristics of Aberdeen Angus steers finished in feedlot, with sugar cane + concentrate, or on cultivated pasture of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) + common salt as mineral supplement. The steers was slaughtered at 24 months of age with similar weights of 394 and 396 kg, respectively. Confined animals were fed with a diet containing 72.3% chopped sugar cane and 27.7% concentrate, dry matter basis. At the beginning of finishing the average weight of the steers was 320 kg and the age was 20 months. No difference was observed for carcass muscle and bone percentages. Also fat percentage was similar between treatments, being of 22.8 and 20.7%, respectively, for steers finished in cultivated pasture and feedlot. Juiciness, palatability, shear force and thawing loss were higher for meat from steers finished on cultivated pasture, being, respectively 6.93 points, 6.60 points, 9.23 kgf and 8.28% versus 5.93 points, 5.77 points, 7.27 kgf and 5.27% in the same order, for steers finished in feedlot. However, others qualitative characteristics as meat color, texture, marbling, tenderness and cooking loss were similar between treatments. KEY WORDS: Aberdeen Angus, feedlot, sugar cane, winter pasture.