Resumo: A pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade da carne de tambaqui com diferentes pesos de abate. Foram utilizados vinte e quatro tambaquis, entre 1,0 e 3,5 kg. O peso ao abate não afetou o pH da carne (6,42), a cor para luminosidade (L*), intensidade de vermelho (a*) e amarelo (b*), respectivamente, com médias de 62,00; 2,86 e 15,57; e os atributos sensoriais aparência (7,41), sabor (7,25), textura (7,40) e aceitação global (7,24). A perda de peso por gotejamento e descongelamento e a capacidade de retenção de água da carne de tambaqui foram afetados (P<0,01) pelo peso ao abate. Embora o peso de abate do tambaqui entre 1,0 e 1,5 kg apresente maiores perdas de água, as demais características qualitativas da carne não foram comprometidas.

This study aimed at evaluating the effects of the physicochemical and nutritional characteristics of a biological silage meal made of tambaqui waste on dietary nutrient apparent digestibility and energy metabolism of commercial layer diets. Seventy-two 61-week-old Hisex White hens were assigned according to a completely randomized experimental design in two treatments: control diet and diet with 5% tambaqui waste biological silage meal (TWBSM), with six replicates of six birds each. The ensiled biomass presented grey brown color, acid aroma, viscous texture, 5.27±0.016pH, 96.28% dry matter (DM), 33.29% crude protein (CP), 33.65% ether extract (EE), 14.37% ashes, 13.63% non-nitrogen extract (NNE), 65.16 g.kg-1 calcium (Ca), 22.90 g.kg-1 phosphorus (P), and 5,666.07 kcal.kg-1 gross energy (GE). Higher (p>0.05) coefficients of apparent digestibility of DM, crude fiber, EE, and ash, and higher coefficient of GE metabolizability were obtained in the diet with 5% TWBSM. Due to its high CP content (33.29% on DM basis), TWBSM may be considered a protein feedstuff. Although no differences in CP digestibility (p>0.05) were detected, TWBSM presented high CP digestibility than the control diet due to proteins hydrolysis as a result of lactic fermentation by microorganisms during the ensilage process, yielding autolysed proteins of high biological value. Our results indicate that the biological silage meal produced from the residual biomass of tambaqui can be included up to 5% in commercial layer diets as it has good nutrient digestibility, and therefore, may potentially be used as a dietary energy and protein source.