The growing global demand for beef is leading to the exploration of various strategies to increase meat production. The present study focused on characterizing the productive and growth parameters, carcass characteristics, chemical composition, and physicochemical characteristics of the meat of Friesian calves raised intensively and slaughtered at a young age. The results showed that the calves, slaughtered at 258 days (8.6 months) had a live weight of 317 kg, with daily gains of 1.16 kg/day and a feed conversion rate of 4.09. The carcasses weighed 161 kg, with a carcass yield of 50.7 %, an "O" conformation, and a degree of fattening "2". On the other hand, the meat was very lean (fat 1.21 g/100 g), with a high protein content (22.22 g/100 g). The pH of the meat showed that both the handling during fattening and slaughter were correct, with no defects in any of the cases. The colour of the meat, with an intense pink hue, and the texture, with values of a "very tender" meat, showed that this is an attractive meat for the consumer. Finally, both the fatty acid profile and the cholesterol content were in line with the values normally observed in beef. As a general conclusion, it can be stated that the proposed Friesian calf fattening system provides acceptable productive parameters, obtaining meat of excellent quality.

Domínguez‑Valencia R., Purriños P., Bermúdez R., Bello F., Luis García L., Estévez F. (2025). Caracterización de los parámetros productivos, calidad de la canal y la carne de terneros frisones. ITEA‑Información Técnica Económica Agraria 121(3): 258-275. https://doi.org/10.12706/itea.2025.008

Fondo Europeo Agrícola de Desarrollo Rural (FEADER) de la Unión Europea, de la Conselleria do Medio Rural de la Xunta de Galicia y del Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación. Proyecto: "Ceba en Galicia: Optimización y protocolización de un sistema de engorde de ternero frisón rentable y replicable" (FEADER 2022/062B). Esta investigación fue apoyada por GAIN (Axencia Galega de Innovación) (referencia IN607A2023/01).