Feed efficiency indexes and their relationships with carcass, non-carcass and meat quality traits in Nellore steers

• Nellore steers were studied for residual feed intake (RFI) and residual feed intake and gain (RIG).
• Relationships between RFI, RIG, carcass traits and meat quality are proposed.
• Efficient-RIG was positively related to longissimus muscle area.
• Efficient-RFI and RIG animals had lower extracted intramuscular fat.
• Efficient-RFI and RIG did not affect toughness of aged meat.

Five hundred and seventy-five Nellore steers were evaluated for residual feed intake and residual feed intake and gain and their relationships between carcass, non-carcass and meat quality traits. RFI was measured by the difference between observed and predicted dry matter intake and RIG was obtained by the sum of − 1*RFI and residual gain. Efficient and inefficient animals were classified adopting ± 0.5 standard deviations from RFI and RIG mean. A mixed model was used including RFI or RIG and contemporary group as fixed effects, initial age as covariate and sire and experimental period as random effects, testing the significance of the regression slope for each evaluated trait. RIG was positively related to longissimus muscle area. Efficient-RFI animals had lower liver and internal fat proportions compared to inefficient-RFI animals. Efficient-RFI and efficient-RIG animals had 11.8% and 11.2% lower extracted intramuscular fat, compared to inefficient-RFI and inefficient-RIG animals, respectively. Efficient-RFI animals had tougher meat compared to inefficient-RFI animals.