The physical and chemical carcasses composition of calves fed after weaning until slaughter with high moisture grains silage or dry ground grains of corn or sorghum was evaluated, for production of pink meat veal. Thirty Holstein calves were alloted to a complete randomized blocks experimental design with five blocks and six concentrate rations with similar contents of protein (18.5% CP) and energy (3.2 Mcal ME/kg DM), formulated with dry ground corn (GC), high moisture corn silage (HMCS), dry ground sorghum with tannin (GSWT), high moisture whole sorghum with tannin silage (HMWSWTS), dry ground sorghum without tannin (GSWTT) or high moisture whole sorghum without tannin silage (HMWSWTTS). After cooling, the H&H sections of left half-carcasses were selected to estimate the tissue of carcass composition and the cuts in the Longissimus dorsi at 12th and 13th ribs to determine the rib eye area (REA), subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), shear force (SF) and chemical composition. No treatment effects were observed on physical composition and relation among the tissues of H&H section and as for REA, SFT and SF. The concentrate ration HMCS showed higher content of EE in the Longissimus dorsi, but did not differ from GSWT and GSWTT. The concentrate ration HMCS promoted higher muscular fat deposition as compared to GC, but the concentrate rations HMWSWTS and HMWSWTTS did not show the same result as compared to the dry ground grains fed. All diets can be used in veal feedlot calves without effect on their carcasses tissue composition and meat tenderness. All evaluated feeds could be used in the concentrate rations for calves after weaning, because they do not impair physical and chemical carcass composition and confer similar results.
meat quality; muscular fat; non-special-fed veal
