This study evaluated the concentrations of alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, creatine, carnosine, anserine and coenzyme Q10 in Longissimus dorsi (Ld) and Gluteus medius (Gm) muscles of culled dairy cows and the impact of age, production status before slaughter (dry-off vs lactating) and carcass weight on them. The effects of applying a finishing feeding regimen before slaughter were also examined. Gm muscle presented higher levels (P<0.001) of alpha-tocopherol (5.14 vs 3.61 mug . g(-1)) beta-carotene (0.36 vs 0.27 mug . g(-1)), anserine (59.24 vs 43.25 mg . 100 g(-1)) and coenzyme Q10 (3.33 vs 1.73 mg . 100 g(-1)), and by contrast lower (P<0.05) creatine concentration (502.40 vs 527.28 mg . 100 g(-1)) than Ld. Dry-off and lactating cows differed significantly in alpha-tocopherol level (P<0.001) but not in the concentrations of the other compounds (P>0.05). The finishing feeding promoted higher mean concentrations of anserine and creatine but lower carnosine values (P>0.05) than directly slaughtered dry-off cows. The variation between muscles and from animal-to-animal makes it difficult to exactly define the antioxidant status of the dairy cow's meat. CI - (c) 2013.