Carcass traits and economic assessment on carcass cutting of Zavot cattle.

This study aimed to assess the carcass traits of Zavot cattle and whether carcass cutting of these cattle is economical or not. Two to three years old forty six Zavot male cattle were used in this study. Before slaughtering, the live-weights of the animals were measured, the ratio of carcass to its parts was calculated after slaughtering and an economic comparison of marketing the carcasses as a whole or cuts was performed, using producer prices. In order to estimate the weights of carcass parts, linear regression equations using live-weight data were formed. It was found that the proportions of the most valuable cuts, less valuable cuts and bone-crumb were 27.63%, 49.59% and 22.08% respectively. The cutting shrinkage was found as 0.70%. The cost of cutting per carcass was calculated as 78.84 TL. Marketing the carcasses in parts instead of as a whole increased the net income by 242.9 TL per carcass. In this study, carcass traits and estimated amounts of carcass parts dependent on live-weight were defined. It was concluded that carcass cutting provides an increase in net income.