Performance, metabolism and methane emission of Nellore finishing cattle receiving diets containing functional oils in replacement or combination with monensin

Author(s)

Lucas Jado Chagas

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2015-08-24

Examining board members

Flavio Augusto Portela Santos; Juliano José de Resende Fernandes; Cyntia Ludovico Martins; Alexandre Vaz Pires; Paulo Henrique Mazza Rodrigues

• Advisor: Flavio Augusto Portela Santos

Abstract

The emergence of increasingly demanding consumer markets as food safety is a growing reality. The ban on antibiotic growth promoters such as monensin, by the European Union is indicative of this. Thus, research looking for alternatives to antibiotics, has been intensified in the last decade, with research works aimed at exploring and developing economically attractive alternative to animal production. In this sense. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of active ingredients extracted from cashew oils and castor as modulators of ruminal fermentation alternative to monensin. Six experiments were carried out. A performance experiment with animals confined in order to measure the GPD, CMS, feed efficiency, carcass characteristics. Another experiment to evaluate metabolic characteristics with the assessment of CMS, digestibility, ruminal fermentation characteristics, oxygen consumption, heat and methane production. Also an in vitro experiment for evaluation of gas production and colonization time was conducted. This set of three experiments was carried out on two base diets, one with ground corn and other with byproducts. Ground corn basal diet consisted of 12% of tyfton hay, 80% of ground corn, 4% soybean meal, 2.5% mineral mixture and 1.5% urea. The treatments were: T1 - control, which consisted of basal diet, no additives; T2 - basal diet with addition of sodium monensina (30 mg / kg DM); T3 - basal diet added Essential® (300 mg / kg DM); and T4 - basal diet added Essential® (500 mg / kg DM). The bast dosis of functional oils were used in a second trial that used combination of functional oils and monensis. In the second trial was used a byproducts base diet comprised 5% of sugar cane bagasse, 50% of wet corn gluten feed, 43.5% of soybean hulls, 1.5% mineral mixture, being evaluated the following treatments: T1 - control, which consisted of basal diet without additives; T2 - basal diet with addition of sodium monensina (25 mg / kg DM); T3 - basal diet added Essential® (300 mg / kg DM); and T4 - basal diet with addition of sodium monensin (25 mg / kg DM) plus Essential® (300 mg / kg DM). For metabolism experiment with diet from corn was used bagasse as roughage and treatments were: T1 - control, which consisted of basal diet without additives; T2 - basal diet with addition of sodium monensina (25 mg / kg DM); T3 - basal diet added Essential® (300 mg / kg DM); and T4 - basal diet with addition of sodium monensin (25 mg / kg DM) plus Essential® (300 mg / kg DM). Functional oils supplementation improves performance of feedlot cattle during the initial phase with the non-use of additives or the use of monensina only. However , this advantage is not maintained over the total period of feedlot. In study, evaluated additives did not contribute to the increase feedlot cattle performance and to reduce their environmental impact. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/22235-4 - Methane emission, performance and metabolism of finishing Nellore bulls receiving functional oils in replacement or combination with monensin in diet
• Grantee: Lucas Jado Chagas
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate