Work

Impact of Antemortem Handling on the Behaviour of Holstein and Commercial Crossbred Steers and on the Incidence on Dark-Cutting Beef

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Dark cutting (DC) is a significant quality defect in beef, often linked to stress experienced by animals prior to slaughter. This study evaluated how antemortem handling affects behavior and DC incidence in Holstein (n = 101) and commercial crossbred (CC; n = 101) steers finished under the same commercial conditions in northwestern Mexico. Animal welfare and handling practices were assessed during driving, transport, lairage, stunning and bleeding, and carcass and meat traits related to DC were measured. Holsteins, originating from confined systems with high human–animal interaction, showed more backing events than CC (73 vs. 30; p = 0.03), which led operators to increase vocal encouragement (109 vs. 5; p < 0.001) and hitting (100 vs. 28; p = 0.002). Additionally, 56.4% of Holstein carcasses had L* ≤ 40 compared with 22.8% in CC (p = 0.001), whereas a greater proportion of CC carcasses exhibited ultimate pH ≥ 5.8 (46.5 vs. 20.8%; p = 0.03). Meat from Holstein steers showed lower lightness, lower redness and higher yellowness, together with a higher incidence of DC (17.8 vs. 10.9%). In conclusion, genetic background and the human–animal relationship influence responses to antemortem handling and the incidence of dark cutting.

Source: Animals

DOI: 10.3390/ani16101457

Authors: Fernanda Alein Chávez-Balderas, Rubén Danilo Méndez Medina, Luigi Faucitano, Francisco Alejandro Ruíz-López, María Salud Rubio Lozano

Institutions: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre

Language: English

Topic: Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies

Subfield: Small Animals

Field: Veterinary

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896