Impact of breed, sex, and preslaughter management with an emphasis on transport of grain-fed calves on behaviour during transport, blood lactate concentration, and meat quality

This study evaluated the impact of intrinsic factors (sex and breed) and preslaughter conditions, mainly transport conditions and duration, along with lairage duration, on blood lactate, behaviour during transport, and meat quality in grain-fed calves. A total of 516 calves from 11 producers were slaughtered in a commercial facility. Male calves showed lower blood lactate ( P = 0.006) and higher pH at 1 h and 48 h post-mortem (pH u ) in pectoralis and longissimus muscles (Both P ≤ 0.006) compared to females. Among preslaughter variables, the interaction between transport (≤60 or >60 min) and lairage durations (≤120 or >120 min) had the most notable effect on meat quality. Shorter transport (≤60 min) and lairage durations (≤120 min) resulted in lower longissimus pH u ( P = 0.007) relative to other combinations. For the pectoralis, longer transport (>60 min) and shorter lairage durations (≤120 min) resulted in a lower pH u ( P = 0.009) relative to other combinations. The findings suggest that lairage durations shorter than 120 min may improve meat quality for calves transported within 8–307 min. Overall, veal meat quality was acceptable, with sex as well as transport and lairage durations being key factors.