Performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of Nelore cattle fed on high levels of high moisture corn and low fiber

• Grant number: 11/18105-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2011
• End date: November 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Saulo da Luz e Silva
• Grantee: Priscila Levy Alvarez
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In the nutrition of confined cattle, the starch is given by feeding with different kinds of processed corn to attempt the animal energy requirement. In Brazil, the high moisture corn grain is the processing that is most likely to the digestibility of the corn flakes, which is the most used source of starch in the nutrition of cattle in feedlots. This project is due to evaluate yield traits and carcass quality of Nelore cattle fed on a high level of high moisture corn grain and low fiber. It will be used for 56 2 years old Nelore bulls and an average of 380kg of yearling weight. They will be confined in individual pens, divided by yearling weight, and be evaluated for 90 days including 21 days of adaptation. The animals will be fed on a high level of high moisture corn grain and low fiber diets. The ration will be given twice a day (in the morning and in the afternoon) and the bunks' leftovers will be collected weekly. Based on the dry matter intake and the bunks' leftovers, feed efficiency will be calculated. The animal will be weighed every 21 days and the weight record will be used to calculate the average daily gain. The animals will be slaughtered in a commercial slaughterhouse and only 28 carcasses will be evaluated they will be weighed to get the hot carcass weight and kidney, pelvic, and heart fat weight. Twenty-four hours after the slaughter the 28 half carcasses (half of each treatment) chosen randomly will be cut between the 12th and 13th rib to determine the rib-eyed area and fat thickness. To determine these traits, a digital image of the cuts will be taken and later they will be evaluated using the software Lince®. With samples of the Longissimus (2,5cm of thickness) in the 12th rib, it will determine the meat tenderness using the share force and exudative water loss by cooking, based on the American Meat Science Association - AMSA method. It will also be evaluated the exudative water loss and cooking water loss. The analysis will be made in the Laboratório de Avaliação Animal e Qualidade de Carne of the University of São Paulo - FZEA. The effect of treatments will be assessed by analysis of variance, considering a complete randomized design using the MIXED method of SAS (2002).(AU)