Some anatomical characteristics of importance in assessing the potential of the water buffalo for beef production in Australia.

Abstract

SOME ANATOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF IMPORTANCE IN ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL OF THE WATER BUFFALO FOR BEEF PRODUCTION IN AUSTRALIA D. D. CHARLES*, E. R. JOHNSON and R. M. BUTTERFIELD Summalry Comparison of carcasses of three buffalo bulls, approximately 18-21 months, old with carcasses of three grade Brahman bulls of similar weight and age suggests that the buffalo compares favourably with cattle with respect to anatomical characteristics of importance in beef production. I. INTRODUCTION It is estimated that there are between 150,000 and 200,000 feral buffaloes in Northern Australia (Letts 1964). Recent developments in the Northern Territory aimed at the utilisation of buffaloes suggest that this species may soon make a significant contribution to the production from this area of beef for human consumption. Buffalo beef is being sold to some states for use in small goods and for pet foods, and has been exported to Hong Kong. A small shipment has been sent to the United States. The lack of adequate slaughtering facilities and insufficient numbers of tame buffaloes has meant that most buffalo beef has been obtained from animals shot at large and prepared under conditions that rendered the beef unacceptable for human consumption. Therefore, very little consideration has been given to those quality and yield characteristics of these animals, a knowledge of which is needed to assess their value relative to cattle. A preliminary study of the anatomy of some of these animals was made by one of us at the suggestion of the Animal Industry Branch of the Northern Territory Administration in 1963 and some information was recorded by Butterfield and May (1966). Now that buffaloes are being redomesticated, and processing facilities improved so that the buff alo may be herded, transported and slaughtered for beef in the same way as cattle, further investigation seems to be warranted. * Department of Animal Husbandry, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland. -t Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland. $ Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales. In this paper, a comparison is made of some anatomical characteristics of three buffalo bulls with. those of three Brahman bulls. II. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three buffalo bulls, 18-21 months old, were slaughtered and the right sides of the chilled, dressed carcasses were dissected by the method of Butterfield ( 1963a) which is explained in detail by Butterfield and May (1966). Briefly, each muscle was trimmed of visible fat and connective tissue and the tendons removed before being weighed. Cartilage, tendons, fascia, lymph nodes, nerves and blood vessels were weighed together and termed 'connective tissue.' Two of the buffaloes were slaughtered at the University of Queensland Farm, Moggill, and dressing data were recorded. The third anmial was slaughtered and dissected at Darwin and the dressing data were not recorded. Approximately 20 bulls of several breeds of beef cattle had been previously dissected in the Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Queensland and, from the records of these dissections, were selected those of the three bulls whose empty liveweights most closely approximated the empty bodyweights of the buffalo bulls. These bulls were 3/4, 7/8 and 15/l 6 Brahman and were 22, 21 and 19 months old respectively. A simple comparison is made of the major anstmkal characteristics of importance in meat production. III. RESULTS Table 1 shows the proportions of the major carcass tissues of the three buffalo bulls compared with the Bos indicus grade bulls. The buffaloes had a smaller proportion of fat and a greater proportion of muscle and connective tissue. Table 2 shows the proportion of muscle weight in the expensive regions of the carcass as defined by Butterfield (1963a, b). TABLE 1 96 TABLE 2 Proportions of muscle weight in 'expensive' regions of the carcasses of buffalo bulls and Bos indicus grade bulls There appears to be a close agreement in the total percentages in these groups between buffaloes and cattle, however, the relative contributions of the three groups of muscles appear to vary between the two species. Table 3 shows the proportions of the carcass, organs and other non-carcass components relative to Iiveweight. Similar data are listed for three Egyptian buffalo bulls, 18 months old, from a study of Ragab, Dar-wish and Malek ( 1966). The head and hide weights are greater in the buffalo. TABLE 3 Proportions of organs and non-carcass components to bodyweight in buJgalo bulls compared with Bos indicus grade bulls 97 IV. DISCUSSION The chilled carcass weights of the three buffalo bulls ranged approximately from 100 to 150 kg so that the heaviest carcass was nearly half as heavy again as the lightest carcass. Despite this relatively wide difference in chilled carcass weight, the proportions of muscle and fat were similar for all three carcasses. The muscle: bone ratio of the buff aloes exceeded that of the cattle in all cases despite the Iower carcass weights of the buffalo. It, therefore, seems that this characteristic of the buffalo would justify investigation; at equal carcass weights the buffalo could have a substantial advantage which may be of impo'rtance in assess. ing the relative yield of buffalo and cattle carcasses. In dissection of animals of low fat content such as those in this study, there is considerable difficulty in making arbitrary division between dissectible fat and connective tissue. These two issues sh,ould, therefore, probably be considered together. When this is done, there is a difference between species of only 1.6 units in the fat plus connective tissue fraction (buffaloes 9.2 per cent and cattle 10.8 per cent). The muscle fraction was greater in the buffalo carcasses (Table 1) but, as they were of lower weights, dissection of heavier carcasses is needed to determine whether this difference is maintained over the whole range of bodyweights. When the individual muscle weights of several breeds of cattle were grouped ' into 'standard muscle groups' by Butterfield ( 1963a, b) , he found that the proportion of total muscle in the expensive part of the cattle carcass was approximately 56 per cent. This mean for the three buffalo carcasses studied was 56.4 per cent (Table 2) and it, therefore, seems likely that this species will not be inferior in the muscle component of the high-priced cuts yielded from their carcasses in conventional butchering. The three Bus Indicus grade bulls averaged 66.1 per cent for this parameter and, therefore, further supported the previous results from cattle. The weight of each of the three groups of 'expensive' muscles suggest that the buffalo may be lighter in the muscles surrounding the spinal column and heavier in the proximal muscles of the forelimb and hind limb. Callow ( 1962) estimated the proportion of muscle to empty bodyweight of cattle to be approximately one-third and this was supported by Butterfield (1963a). The two buffalo carcasses for which empty bodyweights were obtained (24 hours without feed but with access to water) yielded total muscle of 35.7 per cent of the liveweight. Although this may be affected by variations in fill, it seems likely that the proportion of muscle to bodyweight in the buffalo is similar to that in cattle. The dressing percentage of the buffalo carcass appears to resemble that of cattle at similar levels of fatness, which is surprising in view of the heavier hide plus head of the buff alo which comprises approximately 17 per cent of bodyweight compared with approximately 14 per cent in cattle (Table 3). As no other major differences were seen in the solid viscera weights, it is possible that the similarity in dressing percentage is brought about by a lighter weight of the alimentary tract in Bubalus. Hewetson ( 1962) showed that a lighter full digestive tract and pluck caused differences in dressing percentage between Bos taurus and Bos indicus. Perhaps, a similar difference will be shown between cattle and buffaloes when more have been dissected. The above suggestions indicate that the buffalo, if used for beef production, will probably yield carcasses which differ little from cattle carcasses in the anatomical characteristics of major commercial importance. However, a considerable amount of work is needed to establish the commercially important morphologicaI characteristics of the buff alo. V. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We wish to. acknowledge the assistance given by the officers of the Animal Industries Branch of the Northern Territory Administration in obtaining the buffalo bulls. The date for the Bos indicus grade bulls came from a project supported by the Australian Meat Research Committee. Mr. D. A. Baker is thanked for technical assistance with carcass dissections, VI. REFERENCES B B B UTTERFIELD UTTERFIELD UTTERFIELD , R. M. (1963a). Ph.D. Thesis, University of Queensland. , R. M. (1963b). Symposium on Carcass Composition and Appraisal of Meat Animals. 7-1, C.S.I.R.O., Melbourne, Australia. , R. M., and M AY, N. D. S. ( 1966). 'Muscles of the Ox.' (University of Queensland, Brisbane.) C ALLOW, E. H. (1962). Anim. Prod. 4: 37. HEWETSON, R. W. (1962). Aust. J. exp. Agric. Anim. Hush. 2: 82. LETTS, G. A. (1964). Aust. vet. J. 40: 84. R AGAB, M. T., D ARWISH , M. Y. H., and M ALEK, A. G. A. (1966). J. Anim. Prod. U.A.R, 6: 9. 99