The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the carcass and meat characteristics of two year old steers, produced by the mating of 1/2 Nellore 1/2 Charolais cows with Charolais bulls and by mating 1/2 Charolais 1/2 Nellore cows with Nellore bulls. Eighty 3/4 Nellore 1/4 Charolais (NC) and 136 3/4 Charolais 1/4 Nellore steers were used. The data were collected from September 1986 to December 1998. In the statistical model were included the contemporary group effect, age of dam at calving and genetic group as class variable and age of steer in days at slaughter as covariable. 3/4 C 1/4 N steers were heavier in slaughter weight (468 vs. 448 kg), carcass conformation (11.3 vs. 10.4 points), muscle percentage (66.9 vs. 64.7%), Longissimus dorsi area (69.5 vs. 64.7 cm²), Longissimus dorsi area adjusted for 100 kg of cold carcass weight (27.9 vs. 26.6 cm²), carcass length (126 vs. 123 cm), arm perimeter (36.5 vs. 35.4 cm) and meat tenderness (6.50 vs. 5.20 points), while 3/4 N 1/4 C steers showed higher dressing percentage (54.6 vs. 53.7%), leg length (74.0 vs. 72.0 cm), arm length (41.5 vs. 39.7 cm), subcutaneous fat thickness (3.29 vs. 2.70 mm) and fat percentage (19.5 vs. 17.8%). No significant difference was observed for cold carcass weight, meat color, texture, marbling, flavor and juiciness.
additive genetic effect; Bos indicus; Bos taurus; fat; tenderness; zebu
