The results of the current study appear to suggest that
minimal dietary restriction such as a single 48 h feed
withdrawal prior to initiation of the finishing period increased marbling scores. Ad libitum feeding post restriction may increase the potential for fat deposition in
muscle, which enhances consumer appeal of beef and can
be a successful avenue to transfer health benefits of biologically active fatty acids to consumers. The single 48 h
feed withdrawal intervention that was applied in this study
tended to result in an increase in the percentage of carcasses that graded“Canada AAA" and can be expected to
lead to an economically significant increase in returns of
$4.61 per finished heifer that is brought to slaughter,
without affecting other carcass characteristics of the beef
heifers.