This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary total mixed ration (TMR) supplementation and dry-aging period on the physico-chemical and sensory quality of striploin (longissimus lumborum) from multiparous Hanwoo cows. The experimental cows were divided into two treatments (n=3/treatment) according to the type of feed: in one treatment (slaughter age: 87±6 months old, parity: 5±1) the cows were fed on TMR for 7 months before slaughter, while in the other treatment (slaughter age: 83±9 months old, parity: 5±2) the cows were fed on concentrate and rice straw (CRS) for the whole rearing period. After slaughtering, the striploins were dry-aged for 20 or 40 days at 2±1℃, 85% relative humidity and 2 m/sec air flow velocity and then utilized for quality measurements. The pH value, cooking loss, and hypoxanthine content were higher (p<0.05) for the striploins dry-aged for 40 days than for those dry-aged for 20 days. Notably, the inosine 5’-monophosphate content was decreased (p<0.05) by increasing the dry-aging time. With regard to microbiological quality, the striploins dry-aged for 40 days exhibited lower (p<0.05) lactic acid bacteria counts and higher (p<0.05) coliform counts than those dry-aged for 20 days. Moreover, the tenderness and overall liking scores based on sensory evaluation were higher (p<0.05) for the dry-aged striploins of the TMR treatment and those dry-aged for 40 days than for the CRS treatment and those dry-aged 20 days, respectively. These findings suggest that dietary TMR supplementation leads to an increase in the sensory preference of dry-aged striploins from multiparous Hanwoo cows, and alteration of the CRS into the TMR may improve the quality of dry-aged Hanwoo beef.

The increase in the total number of cows on farms, which breed Korean Native Cattle (KNC), is associated with many problems. In particular, the services per conception and calving interval have increased. In this study, we examined the effect of dietary supplementation with vitamin and mineral complex on the estrus rate, pregnancy rate, gestation length, and birth weight of KNC calves. Multiparous or primiparous KNC were divided into 3 groups with 40 heads per group. Experimental group 1 was administered a consisting of 35,000 IU vitamin A, 100 IU vitamin E, 200 mg -carotene, 200 mg Zn methionine, and 1.5 mg Se. Experimental group 2 was administered a vitamin complex (100 g/day) consisting of 100 IU vitamin E and 200 mg -carotene. In the case of multiparous KNC, the estrus detection rate in the control group was 90.0% and those in the experimental groups were 75.0% to 95.0%. However, the first-service pregnancy rate after parturition in the control group was 41.2%, which was significantly lower than that in the experimental groups (71.0% to 76.7%; p<0.05). The average duration of pregnancy in the group supplemented with the vitamin complex was days, which was similar to that in the case of the control group. The birth weight of calves from cows fed with vitamin complex was 25.3 to 27.0 kg, which was similar to that in the case of the control group (25.2 to 26.0 kg). In the case of primiparous KNC, no differences in the estrus rate, pregnancy rate, gestation length, or the birth weight of calves were noted between the groups. Thus, dietary supplementation vitamin and mineral complex have no effect on the reproductive efficiency in primiparous cows, but the pregnancy rate was observed to have increased in multiparous KNC with these supplements.