• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.183-190
• /
• 2003

Data from live animal real time ultrasound (RTU) measures from 127 Hanwoo steers were used to assess nutritional physiology and relationship between RTU measures and real carcass measures represented meat quality. Traits considered were longissimus muscle area, fat thickness, and marbling score imaged and scanned using RTU by month and those of carcass measures at about 24 month of age. On this study, increasing pattern for longissimus muscle area would be closely related to growth pattern (p<0.01) and it of fat thickness would be related to quadratic effect of ages. Marbling score would be related to aging, that is, individual deviates of scores were distinctly characterized after 17 mo. even though they were started at about 11 mo. Correlation estimates between RTU measures and corresponding carcass traits were over 0.6 after 17 month of age for all traits considered and these estimates were high as 0.90 after 22 month of age. From this study, Real-time ultrasound measurement would be valuable after 15-17 mo. and measures at about 22 mo. would be helpful to decide age for slaughtering. To utilize these techniques for beef cattle breeding via progeny testing program, 15 mo. RTU measures would be efficiency rather than 12 mo. of other beef breeds. Further study to find genetic variation of RTU measures was needed to utilize these technologies for beef breeding.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.12
• /
• pp.1691-1695
• /
• 2006

The identification method that inflects real time ultrasound (RUT) and the potential application of marker assisted selection (MAS) for improvement of a cow population of Hanwoo (Korean Native cattle) was studied. The averages of RUT longissimus muscle area, RUT fat thickness, and RUT marbling score scanned at the 13th rib were 55.78 $cm^2$, 3.70 mm and 3.83 scores, respectively. We investigated the effects of the two SNPs (Kpn2 I and Msp I) in the leptin gene on carcass traits for Hanwoo cows by using ultrasound measurements. Genotype CC of the Kpn2 I had a significantly higher effect on back fat thickness (4.23 mm) and longissimus muscle area (57.57 $cm^2$) than genotype TT (3.14 mm, 53.93 $cm^2$, respectively, p<0.05). Genotype AA of the Msp I had a significantly higher effect only on marbling score (5.37) than genotype AB (3.57, p<0.05) and BB (3.37, p<0.05). Significant effects of SNPs in the leptin gene were found for the ultrasound measures of body composition in live cattle.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.7-12
• /
• 2004

Real time ultrasonic measurements for 13th rib fat thickness (LBF), longissimus muscle area (LEMA) and marbling score (LMS) of live animal at pre-harvest and subsequent carcass measurements for fat thickness (BF), longissimus muscle area (EMA), marbling score (MS) as well as body weight of live animal, carcass weight (CW), dressing percentage (DP), and total merit index (TMI) on 755 Korean beef steers were analyzed to estimate genetic parameters. Data were analyzed using multivariate animal models with an EM-REML algorithm. Models included fixed effects for year-season of birth, location of birth, test station, age of dam, linear and quadratic covariates for age or body weight at slaughter and random animal and residual effects. The heritability estimates for LEMA, LBF and LMS on RTU scans were 0.17, 0.41 and 0.55 in the age-adjusted model (Model 1) and 0.20, 0.52 and 0.55 in the weight-adjusted model (Model 2), respectively. The Heritability estimates for subsequent traits on carcass measures were 0.20, 0.38 and 0.54 in Model 1 and 0.23, 0.46 and 0.55 in Model 2, respectively. Genetic correlation estimate between LEMA and EMA was 0.81 and 0.79 in Model 1 and Model 2, respectively. Genetic correlation estimate between LBF and BF were high as 0.97 in Model 1 and 0.98 in Model 2. Real time ultrasonic marbling score were highly genetically correlated to carcass MS of 0.89 in Model 1 and 0.92 in Model 2. These results indicate that RTU scans would be alterative to carcass measurement for genetic evaluation of meat quality in a designed progeny-testing program in Korean beef cattle.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.343-354
• /
• 2003

Simulation studies were carried out to investigate the responses of selection for three carcass traits (longissimus muscle area: EMA, fat thickness: BF, and marbling score: MS) based on either adjusted phenotypes (APH) or estimated breeding values (EBV) in multivariate animal model with different breeding schemes. Selection responses were estimated and compared on six different models with respect to breeding schemes using either carcass measurements or real time ultrasonic (RTU) scans generated by Monte Carlo computer simulation supporting closed breeding population. From the base population with 100 sires and 2000 dams, 20 sires and 1000 dams by each generation were selected by either APH or EBV for 10 generations. Relative economic weights were equal of three traits as EMA(1): BF(－1) : MS(1) for standardized either APH or EBV. For first two models which were similarly designed with current progeny-test program in Korean cattle, three carcass traits with records either only on male progenies (Model 1) or on male and female progenies (Model 2) were used for selecting breeding stocks. Subsequently, generation intervals on males were assumed as 6${\sim}$10 years in these two models. The other two models were designed with tools of selection by RTU rather than carcass measurements with genetic correlations of 0.81${\sim}$0.97 between RTU and corresponding carcass traits in addition to whether with records (Model 4) or without records (Model 3) on female. In these cases, generation intervals on males were assumed as 2${\sim}$4 years. The remaining last two models were designed as similar with Models 3 and 4 except genetic correlations of 0.63${\sim}$0.68 between RTU and corresponding carcass traits with records (Model 6) and without records (Model 5) on females. The results from 10 replicates on each model and selecting methods suggested that responses indirect selection for carcass traits in Model 4 were 1.66${\sim}$2.44 times efficient rather than those in Model 1. Otherwise, in Model 6 with assuming moderate genetic correlations, those efficiencies were 1.18${\sim}$2.08 times with comparing to responses in Model 1. However, selection response for marbling score was the smallest among three carcass traits because of small variation of measurements. From these results, this study suggested that indirect selection using RTU technology for improving high meat qualities in Korean cattle would be valuable with modifying measuring rules of marbling score forward to large variation or modifying relative economic weight for selection.