It is important to determine the ideal moment of slaughter
Typically, the animal must be slaughtered so that tissue can be collected for chemical analysis.
When determining feed requirements and the ideal slaughter date for livestock, it is important to know their body chemistry. Ideally, by adjusting the diet, feed efficiency can be improved, which in turn contributes to greater economic efficiency of animal husbandry.
Slaughter-free tissue analysis
Typically, the animal must be slaughtered to collect tissue for analysis. Until now, this was the only way to determine the chemical elements that make up the animal's body. A summary of the study, which included Swiss scientists, found that the method is expensive, leads to a loss of edible meat and can only be used at a certain point in the animal's life cycle.
Mass 3D imaging technology is the future
Other visual or manual estimation methods can, for example, estimate meatiness and the degree of fatness or fatness (CH-TAX). However, imaging procedures using ultrasound or X-rays cannot yet be used on a large scale due to certain limitations (accuracy, costs, safety measures), the researchers continue.
However, 3D imaging technology is safe and easy to use because it does not require direct contact with the animals. 3D imaging has already been successfully used to measure some external characteristics of dairy cows. However, it still needs to be tested to estimate body and carcass composition in growing cattle.
Proportions of water, fat, protein, etc.
The aim of the study was to calibrate and measure the accuracy of 3D imaging to determine the body and carcass chemical composition of crossbred cattle (Brown Swiss mothers crossed with Angus, Limousin or Simmental fathers).
In 2020-2021, 3D images of 100 beef cattle were taken at the Agroscope slaughterhouse in Posieux, on the one hand during the growth period (from 75 to 520 kg live weight and from 34 to 306 kg slaughter weight), on the other hand during the slaughter weight period (respectively 289 kg. 517 kg live weight), which corresponds to the usual slaughter weight in Switzerland. Measurements of external characteristics such as perimeter, surface area and volume were taken using 3D images of the animals shortly before slaughter.
These measurements were used to create estimation equations for the mass or proportions of water, fat, protein, minerals and energy in the bodies and carcasses of animals. They were determined in parallel by a reference method immediately after slaughter.
Increasing the efficiency and profitability of animal husbandry
While the technology is promising, more research is needed to confirm its utility in practice, such as in slaughterhouses or on farms. However, the researchers are confident that if 3D imaging proves successful, it could play a significant role in precision farming and significantly increase the efficiency and profitability of animal farming.
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