Lamb Carcass and Live Lamb Evaluations by Potassium-40 and Carcass Measurements

Abstract

Evaluations of lamb carcasses by weights, measurements, and potassium-40 analyses permitted the comparison of the methods on the basis of edible portion, excess fat, and bone constituents. Potassium-40 measurements were shown to be highly significantly related to the edible portion, excess fat, and bone composition of the carcasses. Measurements of longissimus dorsi area and external fat thickness were also highly significantly related to edible portion and excess fat proportions. In live lambs, the correlations between potassium-40 activity and percent edible portion were significant in one of four cases. Potassium-40 correlations with percent excess fat ranged from −.72 to −.89. Longissimus dorsi area and fat thickness carcass measurements were highly significantly related to edible portion and excess fat percentages of live weight. Copyright © 1963. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1963 by American Society of Animal Science