Efficiency in converting food into quality beef by young Nellore bulls

• Grant number: 13/19205-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: March 01, 2014 - August 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Sarah Figueiredo Martins Bonilha
• Grantee: Sarah Figueiredo Martins Bonilha
• Host Institution: Instituto de Zootecnia. Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Nova Odessa , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Joslaine Noely dos Santos Goncalves Cyrillo ; Maria Eugênia Zerlotti Mercadante ; Renata Helena Branco Arnandes

Abstract

Some measures of feed efficiency, because they are highly correlated to weight gain, if used as a selection criterion in breeding programs, may result in a substantial increase of food intake by herd. Residual feed intake (RFI), which by definition is independent of weight and growth rate of animals, is an alternative to select more efficient animals. RFI is affected by the whole animal's metabolism and, therefore, the relations between this trait and growth, body composition, food digestion capacity and other physiological bases have been investigated. This project will be conducted with the objective of to increase knowledge about RFI, especially regarding relations with digestion capacity, body composition, carcass traits and meat quality for its consideration in breeding programs of Nellore. Information on individual feed intake on different diets, performance, digestibility, methane emission, body composition, carcass traits, and meat quality will be collected in Nellore cattle, generating knowledge on efficiency of feed utilization by animals on different life phases, fed with different diets. The knowledge generated will provide subsidies for recommendation of RFI as selection criteria in zebu cattle in search of increasing efficiency on meat production. (AU)

Scientific publications

(5)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BALDASSINI, W. A.; BONILHA, S. F. M.; BRANCO, R. H.; VIEIRA, J. C. S.; PADILHA, P. M.; LANNA, D. P. D.. Proteomic investigation of liver from beef cattle (Bos indicus) divergently ranked on residual feed intake. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REPORTS, v. 45, n. 6, p. 2765-2773, DEC 2018. (14/22030-1, 13/19205-1)

FIDELIS, H. A.; BONILHA, S. F. M.; TEDESCHI, L. O.; BRANCO, R. H.; CYRILLO, J. N. S. G.; MERCADANTE, M. E. Z.. Residual feed intake, carcass traits and meat quality in Nellore cattle. MEAT SCIENCE, v. 128, p. 34-39, JUN 2017. (13/19205-1)

MARTINS BONILHA, SARAH FIGUEIREDO; BRANCO, RENATA HELENA; ZERLOTTI MERCADANTE, MARIA EUGENIA; DOS SANTOS GONCALVES CYRILLO, JOSLAINE NOELY; MONTEIRO, FABIO MORATO; RIBEIRO, ENILSON GERALDO. Digestion and metabolism of low and high residual feed intake Nellore bulls. TROPICAL ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION, v. 49, n. 3, p. 529-535, MAR 2017. (13/19205-1)

LUIZ HENRIQUE OLIVEIRA SILVA; SARAH FIGUEIREDO MARTINS BONILHA; RENATA HELENA BRANCO; JOSLAINE NOELY DOS SANTOS GONÇALVES CYRILLO; MARIA EUGÊNIA ZERLOTTI MERCADANTE. Development and evaluation of models to estimate body chemical composition of young Nellore bulls. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE ZOOTECNIA-BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, v. 46, n. 2, p. 156-166, 2017-02-00. (13/19205-1)

BALDASSINI, W. A.; RAMSEY, J. J.; BRANCO, R. H.; BONILHA, S. F. M.; CHIARATTI, M. R.; CHAVES, A. S.; LANNA, D. P. D.. Estimated heat production, blood parameters and mitochondrial DNA copy number of Nellore bulls (Bos indicus) with high and low residual feed intake. LIVESTOCK SCIENCE, v. 217, p. 140-147, NOV 2018. (14/22030-1, 13/19205-1)