Immunocastration effect on performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of feedlot cattle

• Grant number: 12/21602-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Roberto de Oliveira Roça
• Grantee: Juliana Machado Homem
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The cattle's castration for slaughter aims to reduce aggression and improve meat quality, improving the level of carcass fat distribution. Moreover, surgical castration may cause disorders like difficulties handling the dressing, weight loss, in addition to pain and suffering of the animals. The immunocastration is immune suppression of the production of sex hormone performed by vaccination using the principle anti-GnRH. This practice is painless and noninvasive, which causes temporary no fertilization in animals. This method is well studied and accepted in swine. In cattle were not found scientific reports available in the literature focused on cross beef cattle and feedlot animals. It is expected that the use of this vaccine in cattle Nelore and cattle Angus cross Nelore could provide equivalent or superior effects improving meat quality when effects compared in the surgical castration. Therefore, in this project, it is proposed to evaluate the effect of immunocastration on parameters of carcass and meat quality. Will be used for these 60 animals, 30 Nellore cattle and 30 Nelore-Angus cattle uniform and randomly divided into 3 treatments: intact, surgically castrated, and immunocastrated.(AU)