Influence of animal temperament and stress responsiveness on the carcass quality and beef tenderness of feedlot cattle

Three groups of steers (A, B, C) were used to study the effect of temperament (Calm, Intermediate, and Excitable) on meat quality. Temperament was based on exit velocity, pen scores, and chute scores. Temperament traits were consistent across evaluations, and values decreased (P < 0.05) in magnitude over time. Increasing excitability was associated with higher (P < 0.05) serum cortisol concentrations. Carcasses from cattle with calm temperaments had higher (P < 0.05) 0.5 h postmortem pH values than those from Intermediate and Excitable cattle (0.1 and 0.2 units, respectively). Group C Excitable steers had higher (P < 0.05) WBS values than the calmer Group C steers. This trend was observed in Group A steers, although the values were not statistically different. Correlations were highest between temperament values and tenderness after 21 d. Temperament influences tenderness, although the mechanism is not clear. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.