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

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.