Slaughter performance and meat characteristics of "rosé veal" from the local Maraîchine breed

The concept of "rosé veal" is variously defined and underexplored in France. This type of production is well adapted for local breeds, as with Maraîchine. Slaughter performance data of rosé veal, extracted from a database comprising 119 calves observed between 2009 and 2023 at the INRAE experimental unit in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée, are presented. Biochemical and metabolic characteristics, as well as sensory and nutritional qualities of meat, were analyzed in a sample of 30 rosé veals (15 raised on maternal milk and grass (pasture and/or hay) (H diet) and 15 calves raised on maternal milk and supplemented with concentrates (C diet)) from 8 different farms. The calves have an average live weight of 219 kg, a carcass weight of 128 kg, and a meat weight of 90 kg. Carcass yields average 59%, and meat yields average 70%. Rosé veal meat is low in lipids (1.3g/100g of tissue) and exhibits a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) close to 20%, with a PUFA n-6/n-3 ratio near 2. Calf supplementation has significant impacts on meat quality. The H diet influences carcass conformation, meat color, iron content (+24%), and tenderness. It increases the proportion of slow and oxydo-glycolytic fibers by 53%. Some levels of healthy fatty acids, vitamin B2 and health indicators also increased. They resulted in a twofold enrichment in endogenous or exogenous antioxidants and decreased levels of vitamins B3 and B6.