Injective behavior under heat stress, carcass and meat characteristics of lambs fed with essential oils and vitamin E

• Grant number: 15/23609-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal researcher: Angélica Simone Cravo Pereira
• Grantee: Marianna Justo
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The use of essentials oils on diets has been studied for ability to control the fermentation products to ensure good utilization of the nutrients as well as vitamin E supplementation that assured greater benefits in the quality of meat by its antioxidative effect. The objective of this study will to evaluate the feeding behavior under thermal stress of lambs fed with essential oils and vitamin E, as well as analysis of the impact of stress on carcass traits and meat of the animal. Will be used 30 crossbred lambs (males and females), whose are three months old and average live weight of 20 kg randomly divided into three treatments and ten repetitions. Treatment 1) control diet without the addition of essential oils and/or Vitamin E, 2) diet with addition of essential oils (Essential®) (500 mg/kg DM) and 3) diet with addition of essential oils (Essential®) (500 mg/kg DM) and vitamin E (500 IU vitamin E kg-1 of diet DM). The feeding behavior will be evaluated by visual monitoring of animal's feeding and ruminating over a period of twelve hours a day for three days. As an indicative of stress, the level of blood cortisol will be determine using blood samples by puncture of the jugular vein of each animal. After slaughter, hot carcass weight and pH (pH1h) will be determined and after 24 hours the cold carcass weight and pH (pH24h) will be evaluated. Rib eye area (REA) and fat thickness (CFAT) ,12th and 13th ribs on the Longissimus dorsi, will be measured, also be collected samples that remain packed and frozen at -18 ° C for analysis by cooking loss, tenderness and color of meat. The complete randomized block design was used with three treatments and ten repetitions. Statistical analyzes will be performed using the SASÒ program (SAS Institute INC., Cary, NC).