Influência do transporte rodoviário e fluvial na ocorrência de lesões em carcaças de bovinos abatidos no Pantanal Sul Mato-grossense

Several problems related to bad transport of cattle has been reported in the national and international literature, as example the stress that could cause loss in the production and death of animaIs. This study has the objective of assess the influence of the means of transport on the frequency of tissue lesions in carcasses, in the main Brazilian commercial cuts and "age" of lesions in beef cattle slaughtered in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul state. It were used 209 cattle, grouped as distance to the Slaughterhouse, means of transport and some characteristics of slaughtered animais. The lesions of the carcasses were analyzed (number, location and size of bruises), c1assification by age (scale of color/appearance) and weighing of compromised tis sues that were removed. In this study was observed that from 209 evaluated carcass, 185 (88.5%) presented one or more lesions. In total of evaluated carcass occurred 523 lesions that resulted in 96.158 kg removal of meat. Regarding the size of lesions, the highest means were found in animais submitted to treatments V, VI and IX. There was no significant difference regarding the incidence of bruises in the commercial cuts present among the conditions assessed, however, the fo11owing meat cuts presented more lesions: rump roast (26,56%), round (21,03%), round steak (13.95%), rib (13.38%), chuck (10.70%), and flank steak ro11s (3.63%). In this study was possible the determination of age of lesions by color evaluation. We conc1uded that of way of transport influenced the occurrence of lesions. The most lesions occurred in the last 24 hours of transporto Educational measures will be necessary to reduce the problems of pre-slaughter management.