Eating quality of Holstein bull calves fed only grass or purely herbs matches that of concentrate-fed veal calves

Organic meat production from Holstein calves born in dairy herds require that the bull calves are raised outdoor at least 6 months a year, and on large quantities of roughage in the diet. This study aimed at elucidating if Holstein bull calves fed either purely grass or purely herbs prior to slaughter would differ in meat quality traits, fatty acid composition and sensory profile and if they differed in quality aspects from concentrate-fed veal calves

Meat quality of hull calves fed only grass or only herbs for 8 weeks prior to slaughter matches that of concentrate-fed bull calves

The organic rules require that bull calves are raised outdoor at least 6 months a year in Denmark and are fed at least 60% roughage of the total diet. These rules are a constraint for an organic production of beef based on the bull calves born in the organic dairy herds because of extra labor costs, expected lower growth rate, difficulties in raising bull calves outdoor, possibly lower meat quality and lack of sufficiently high organic premium payment for the carcass. Thus, the bull calves are sold for conventional fattening. The supply of organic beef from young cattle is concomitantly very limited. However, in order to obtain the necessary higher payment for beef from organic-raised young cattle, it is important that consumers like the beef from grass- and herb-fed young cattle

Improved texture of breast meat after a short finishing feeding period of broilers in an organic free-range system

In order to develop an organic broiler product with high ethical value, high meat quality and based on locally produced feed, we tested if a long period without high quality protein feed followed by a finishing period with a high quality protein ration would affect the meat quality. Two genotypes were included in the experiment (The Hubbard breed ‘JA757’ and the Sasso breed ‘T851’), and only female broilers were included. The chickens were raised in groups in a free range system with more than 10 square meters per chicken covered with grass and herbs. The chickens were offered free access to either an optimized organic concentrate ration (HP) or an organic ration based on locally produced ingredients (peas, rapeseed, lupine, wheat and oat) (LP). The broilers were slaughtered at 90 days (HP) or 118 days (LP). At 90 days the LP broilers were allocated to the high quality protein ration (HP) for either four weeks (LP4) or two weeks (LP2) before slaughter. At slaughter the JA757 HP broilers were the heaviest (2827 g), and the JA757 LP broilers were not able to catch up after either 2 or 4 weeks finishing feeding with the HP ration (2248 g and 2292 g, respectively). This was different for the T851 genotype where there was no difference in slaughter weight between the T851 HP and LP2 and LP4 (average 1592 g). A sensory panel evaluated the sensory quality of the breast meat and found less firmness and fibrousness, lower chewing time and more tenderness in both genotypes offered high quality protein feed in the finishing feeding for 2 weeks in comparison with the 4 weeks finishing feeding, with the HP in between. This pattern is reflected in the daily gains the last two weeks before slaughter and suggests a positive linkage between daily gain before slaughter and tenderness post mortem

Green veal is not dark red

Among many farmers, butchers and consumers, the expectation is that meat arising from grazing cattle generally is darker than meat from cattle primarily fed cereals. Without necessarily being the truth, this dogma is a constraint to the marketing of ‘green’ meat. In an attempt to increase the supply of organic meat from young cattle, we need to know which quality parameters are the characteristics for this type of meat, including colour characteristics

Nye foderstrategier til økologiske kyllinger

Organic RDD2-projektet "MultiChick" ser et stort potentiale i at nytænke værdikæden i den økologiske slagtekyllingeproduktion og skabe nye udviklingsveje, der i højere grad fokuserer på dyrevelfærd, kvalitet og differentiering. Én af indsatsområderne er at skabe nye fodringsstrategier

Forsøg med frilandsgrise på kløvergræs, urter, kål og jordskokker

Grise er altædende. I dag fodres langt de fleste grise hovedsageligt med korn og soja. Det står i kontrast til grisens natur og belaster miljøet og klimaet. Grise er af natur altædende og æder med stort velbehag mange forskellige fødeemner, inklusiv regnorme og biller

Eating quality of filet and round from grazing Holstein bulls and Limousine x Holstein Bulls and Heifers

Crossbred Limousine x Holstein bulls and heifers may be an alternative to purebred Holstein bulls in organic beef production of young cattle because of the improved gain, carcass conformation and taste, but the fatness and texture of the crossbred bulls need to be improved through changes in the production strategy, especially feeding prior to slaughter, and in the pre and post mortem handling

Eating quality of filet and round from grazing Holstein bulls and Limousine x Holstein bulls and heifers

Production of organic beef from young cattle is not very developed in Denmark, in spite of a well-established organic dairy production with male off-spring. These calves are sold to conventional production, because of low performance in organic production systems. The purpose of this study was to test a concept for production of organic beef based on crossbred animals from dairy cows sired with a beef breed. The experiment included a comparison between spring-born pure-bred Holstein bulls (HB), crossbred Limousin x Holstein bulls (CB) and heifers (CH), 15 of each group. After weaning the calves were raised outdoor on pasture the 1st summer and indoor on a low energy grass-haylage ration over winter followed by pasture the 2nd summer and slaughter at a fixed age of 16.9 mo. CB showed an improved daily gain, EUROP conformation, but not fatness compared with HB, which was inferior compared with the CH. A sensory evaluation showed more intense aroma and taste characteristics of the loin from HB compared with the other groups, whereas the tenderness of the loin and round from both HB and CB were inferior compared with CH, and is expected to be too low to fulfil consumer expectations of tender beef