The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence a finishing diet containing natural additives fed for 94 days on animal performance, carcass, and meat quality characteristics of crossbred bulls (1/2 Angus × 1/2 Nellore). Forty-eight bulls (initial BW 318 ± 4.7 kg and initial age 22 months) were used in a completely randomised design. Bulls were fed one of four diets: (1) CON – Control; (2) CCO – addition of 4 g/animal.day of a mix of essential oils from castor bean and cashew; (3) MIX – addition of 4 g/animal.day of a mix of essential oils (oregano oils, castor bean, cashew); (4) YST – addition of 4 g/animal.day of yeast. Bulls were finished in feedlot (in individual pens) and slaughtered at an average weight of 469 ± 6.7 kg. Final BW, hot carcass weight and average daily gain were greater (P < 0.05) in MIX diet than in the three other diets. However, DM intake, G : F, fat thickness, longissimus muscle area, marbling, and meat colour were similar (P > 0.05) among the four diets. The carcass conformation score was higher (P < 0.05) for bulls that were fed with the YST diet and similar for the three other diets. Meat from CCO had a reduced (P < 0.05) cooking loss when compared with CON diet. Shear force from MIX diet had lesser values (P < 0.05) than meat from YST diet, and it was similar among CON and CCO diets. There was no diet effect (P > 0.05) on lipid oxidation, moisture, ash, and total lipids contents. C14:0, C14:1 n-9, C16:0, C18:1 n-9, C18:1 n-7 and C18:3 n-6 fatty acids in intramuscular fat from the longissimus muscle were affected by the inclusion of additives in the diets. SFA, MUFA, PUFA, n-3 and n-6 fatty acid percentages, and the ratios PUFA : SFA and n-6 : n-3 were similar (P > 0.05) among diets. In conclusion, adding a mix of oregano, castor bean, and cashew oils in the diet improved the performance of the bulls, but meat characteristics did not significantly change.

Current study aimed to evaluate the performance of bulls (1/2 Purunã vs 1/2 Canchim) slaughtered at two ages and three different weights. One hundred and thirteen bulls were divided into two slaughter ages (16 and 22 months) and three different slaughter weights (light, 422 kg; medium, 470 kg; and heavy, 550 kg). The body weight was higher for bulls slaughtered at 16 months. Daily gain, carcass weight and dressing were higher for bulls slaughtered at 16 months. Feed intake was higher for bulls slaughtered at 22 months although feed efficiency was better for bulls slaughtered at 16 months. Carcass characteristics were better for bulls slaughtered at 16 months. The percentages of muscle, fat and bone and meat characteristics were similar between two slaughter ages. Feed intake and animal performance was lower for lighter animals. Feed conversion and carcass dressing were similar in the three slaughter weights. Muscle percentage was higher for heavier animals but fat and bone percentages were lower. Slaughter weight had no effect on meat characteristics.

Summary Background: in cattle production systems, antibiotics are commonly fed to cattle to prevent diseases, metabolic disorders, and to improve feed efficiency. Considerable effort has been devoted towards developing alternatives to the use of antibiotics. Objective: to evaluate the effect of propolis or cashew and castor oils on animal performance, feed intake, digestibility, and blood cell counts of young bulls. Methods: bulls were kept in a feedlot for 49 days. Starting on the 40 th day, feces were sampled for five days to estimate digestibility using indigestible dry matter (DM) as a marker. Bulls were fed a control diet (CON) with sorghum silage (41% DM) and cracked corn, soybean meal, glycerine, limestone, and mineral salt. The propolis-supplemented group (PRO) received 3 g/animal/d in the concentrate. The essential oils-supplemented group (OIL) received 3 g/animal/d (1.5 g cashew oil + 1.5 g castor oil) added to the concentrate. Results: final body weight, average daily gain and feed efficiency were better for bulls fed the OIL diet. Propolis or essential oils had no effect on feed intake and digestibility. There was no effect of propolis or essential oils on blood cell counts. Red blood cell concentration was greater in the last day of the experiment, while the number of white blood cells was lower. Conclusions: dietary addition of propolis did not affect bull performance or feed efficiency. The

-Two height cuttings of corn silage with or without enzyme inoculants were evaluated for 68 days on performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and chemical composition of the Longissimus muscle in crossbred bulls (F1 -½ Nellore vs. ½ Angus) finished in feedlot. Thirty-two 20-month-old bulls, with initial average weight of 374±25 kg, were kept in individual pens (10 m 2 ). Diets consisted of 50% roughage and 50% concentrate, with an expected 1.80 kg/day weight gain. The experimental design with four diets and eight replications was completely randomized. Different cutting heights, low (25 cm) and high (45 cm), with or without enzyme inoculants, were studied. Live weight, average daily gain, feed intake, feed efficiency, carcass characteristics, muscle, fat and bone percentages at the 11 th and 12 th ribs, chemical composition of the Longissimus muscle, sum of saturated, mono-unsaturated, poly-unsaturated fatty acids, n-3 fatty acids, n-6 fatty acids, and the poly-unsaturated:saturated and n-6:n-3 relations were determined. Cutting height of silage corn and the use of inoculants did not affect final live weight, average daily gain, feed intake, alimentary efficiency of dry matter, carcass characteristics, meat quality, chemical composition of the Longissimus muscle or fatty acid profile. High cutting of silage corn (45 cm above the ground) and the use of inoculants are not necessary in the case of cattle finished in feedlot, with 1.8 kg daily gain.

In many countries, fresh meat from cull ewes is considered to have little value. Nevertheless, other products such as dried and cured meat have high prices. Due to immigration, there is a continual shift in the population's profile, and the acceptability of local products within a specific country is not well known. For this study, 320 consumers from Europe (Spain), Asia (China), Africa (sub‐Saharan Africa) and South America (Andes) evaluated the overall acceptability of dry‐cured sheep meat “cecina.” The legs of 24 culled ewes with three different fatness levels (FL) were used. Overall acceptability indicated that the product was well accepted, with Africans providing the highest scores (P ≤ 0.01). Statistical differences between the three FL were found only in Spanish consumers who preferred Lean “cecina.” Length of residency was a significant factor only for Andeans in which a preference was observed for those living five or more years in Spain (P = 0.04). Differences depending on the frequency of lamb consumption were found in all cultural backgrounds except for Chinese consumers. Practical Applications Cultural background was more important than fatness level (FL) in terms of overall acceptability. Therefore, the production of dry‐cured meat from ewes would not require a previous fattening period to meet consumers’ expectations. In this sense, only Spanish consumers found differences between FL, with the leanest meat as the most appreciated. Globally, the consumer overall acceptability score of the product was high, being Africans those with the highest scores, and showing that the possibility of producing “cecina” would favor breeders, who could profit from selling meat at a higher price.

This work was carried out to evaluate the chemical composition and fatty acid profile of Longissimus muscle of 33 Nellore bulls with 27 months old and initial average weight of 402 ± 7.58 kg finished in feedlot. Three treatments (Control -CON, Monensin -MON and Propolis extract -PRO) were evaluated. The animals were kept in feedlot during 84 days and slaughtered with final average weight with 488 ± 24.9 kg. The addition of additives (monensin or propolis extract) did not influence (P > 0.10) the chemical composition of Longissimus muscle of bulls. Saturated fatty acid (SFA) did not have difference (P > 0.10) among treatments. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) have difference (P < 0.01) among treatments. The highest value was observed in CON treatment (47.0%). There is also difference (P < 0.01) among treatments for polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Bulls of MON (9.92%) treatment obtained highest (P < 0.01) value for PUFA. Bulls of CON (6.74%) and PRO (6.93%) have lowest (P < 0.01) values for PUFA. Key words: Additives, CLA, cholesterol, meat quality, ruminant DOI: 10.5433/1679 Abstract Este trabalho foi realizado para avaliar a composição química e a composição de ácidos graxos do músculo Longissimus de 33 machos não castrados da raça Nelore com 27 meses de idade e peso médio inicial de 402 ± 7.58 kg terminados em confinamento. Foram usados três tratamentos: Controle -CON, Monensina -MON e Extrato de Própolis -PRO. Os bovinos foram mantidos confinados durante 84 dias e abatidos com peso vivo médio final de 488 ± 24.9 kg. A adição dos aditivos (monensina ou extrato de própolis) não tiveram influência (P > 0,10) na composição química do músculo Longissimus dos bovinos. A composição de ácidos graxos saturados (AGS) foi semelhante entre os tratamentos (P > 0,10). A composição de ácidos graxos monoinsaturados foi diferente entre os tratamentos (P < 0,01). Valor superior foi observado nos bovinos da dieta CON (47,0%). Da mesma forma, houve diferença (P 1628 Semina: Ciências Agrárias, Londrina, v. 32, n. 4, p. 1627-1636, out./dez. 2011 Zawadzki, F. et. al. < 0,01) entre tratamentos para os ácidos graxos poliinsaturados (AGPI). Bovinos do tratamento (9,92%) apresentaram maior (P < 0,01) valor para os AGPI. Os bovinos dos tratamentos CON (6,74%) e PRO (6,93%) apresentaram menores valores (P < 0,01) para os AGPI.

ResumoO objetivo deste experimento foi avaliar características quantitativas e qualitativas da carcaça e da carne de bovinos não-castrados ou castrados terminados em confinamento durante um período de 116 dias e alimentados com dieta composta por silagem de milho e três níveis de concentrado (0,70; 0,97 e 1,23% do peso corporal), composto por farelo de soja (25%), milho grão triturado (73%), sal mineral (1%) e calcário calcítico (1%). Foram utilizados 169 bovinos composto Purunã, sendo 94 não-castrados e 75 castrados, com idade média de 20 meses. A interação classe sexual vs. nível de oferta de concentrado não foi significativa (P>0,05) para nenhuma das variáveis estudadas, como também não se verificou efeito dos níveis de concentrado na dieta sobre as mesmas características. Os animais não-castrados apresentaram peso de abate (493,1 kg) superior aos animais castrados (450,8 kg) bem como maior rendimento de carcaça (55,2 vs. 53,5%) resultando em um peso de carcaça quente 12,0% maior em relação aos castrados, porém, com menor grau de acabamento (3,6 vs. 4,2 mm, respectivamente). Animais não-castrados apresentaram carcaça de melhor conformação e área de Longissimus dorsi (68,6 vs. 63,3 cm 2 ), com maior percentual de músculo (66,5 vs. 62,8%) em relação aos castrados. A carne dos animais não-castrados apresentou-se mais escura e com menor grau de marmorização em relação aos castrados. No entanto, não se verificou diferenças na maciez e suculência da carne, embora os animais castrados apresentassem carne mais palatável. Palavras-chave: Acabamento de carcaça, bovinos de corte, classe sexual, produção de carne, qualidade da carne AbstractThe objective of this experiment was to evaluate quantitative and qualitative characters of carcass and meat from bulls and steers finished in feedlot during a 116 day period, in individual stalls and fed with a diet of corn silage and three levels of concentrate (0.70; 0.97 and 1.23% of body weight). The concentrate was formulated with 25% soybean meal, 73% of ground corn grain 1% of a mineral mix and 1% of limestone. A total of 169 composite Purunã animals, being 94 bulls and 75 steers with average age of 20 months. The interaction between physiological condition and level of concentrate was not

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