Meat quality study of lambs confined submitted to the road transport and treated with vitamin E

• Grant number: 12/01897-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Angélica Simone Cravo Pereira
• Grantee: Paola Barros Junqueira de Carvalho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of intramuscular administration of vitamin E in pre-slaughter lambs submitted to the road transport connecting with the carcass quality. Twenty-one Dorper/ Santa Inês animals would be used for approximately 75 days at the beginning of confinement. The animals will be kept in collective boxes and given food twice a day. The diet of all animals will be the same and are composed of commercial concentrate (84% da MS), soybean oil (3% da MS), mineral supplement (3% da MS), and hay (10% da MS). The sheep will be divided into three experimental groups (G1, G2 e G3), animals belonging to the G1 will receive two applications by intramuscular injection of vitamin E at a dose of 10 UI/Kg of metabolic weight at seven and three days before transport to the slaughter; the sheep belonging to the G2 will receive two applications of vitamin E at a dose of 20 UI/Kg of metabolic weight, also for intramuscular at seven and three days before transport; the animals in group G3, control group, will receive by the same route of administration to the animals in groups G1 and G2, and an equal volume of saline solution. Before slaughter will be assessed final live weight of animals. After slaughter, measurements would be made of hot carcass weight (PCQ), carcass yield, pH, and carcass temperature would be evaluated. During the deboning would be evaluated characteristics of a subcutaneous fat thickness (EGS), rib eye area (AOL), and marbling Longissimus muscle. Longissimus muscle samples will also be taken, for evaluation of objective tenderness (Sheer Force), color analysis, and TBARS. (AU)