The effect of different dietary concentrate levels (25, 37.5, 50, 62.5, and 75%) on the carcass characteristics, gastrointestinal tract weight, internal organ weight and gastrointestinal tract fill was evaluated. Twenty-four F1 Simental x Nellore bulls, with 17 months of age and average live weight of 354 kg, were used. The animals were slaughtered when reached 500 kg of live weight. After cooling, carcasses were qualitative (loin eye area) and quantitatively (measures, yields and prime cuts) evaluated. The carcass and prime cuts dressing, the loin eye area and the muscle and fat contents were not affected by the concentrate levels, while the carcass length linearly decreased as concentrate level increased. The gastrointestinal tract fill linearly decreased as dietary concentrate level increased. There was no effect of concentrate level on the heart, lungs and rumen-reticulum weights. The weights of liver, kidney, spleen, abomasum, small intestine and internal fat increased and the weight of the omasum linearly decreased as dietary concentrate levels increased.
carcass; concentrate; gastrointestinal tract; internal organs; physical composition; prime cuts
