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Forty ½ Brown Swiss×½ Nellore crossbred bulls were distributed into three experimental groups: CON - diet without addition of essential oils; CLO - diet with average 5,000mg/animal/day of clove essential oils and CIN - diet with average 5,000mg/animal/day of cinnamon essential oils to evaluate three methodologies of visual acceptability: with steaks directly in Trays and Sequential and Random photos. Seventeen consumers evaluated visual appearance of meat using a 9-point structured hedonic scale. CON group presented higher shelf-life than essential oils groups. Trays and Sequential scores were similar in the majority of days; thus digital images could be used to evaluate colour evolution. However, Random photos resulted in lower scores and slower acceptability decrease than Trays and Sequential photos (p<0.05) among the second and fifth day of display. Random photos presented a lower and more constant standard deviation than Trays and Sequential photos (p<0.01) indicating that this methodology promoted a higher standard situation for meat colour evaluation.

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The natural additive products (propolis or essential oils), in replacing antibiotics, could be used as an alternative for feed strategies to improve animal production. This work was performed to evaluate the effect of natural additives as propolis or essential oils on meat quality of crossbred (Aberdeen Angus vs. Nellore) bulls. Thirty bulls were kept in feedlot (individual pen) for 55 d and randomly assigned to one of three diets (n = 10): control (CON), propolis (PRO), or essential oils (OIL). CON diet consists of corn silage (45% DM) and concentrate (cracked corn, soybean meal, glycerin, limestone, and mineral salt, 55% DM). The PRO group received same CON diet plus 3 g animal -1 d -1 of propolis premix added to the concentrate. The OIL group received same CON diet and 3 g animal -1 d -1 of a premix (cashew Anacardium occidentale L. and castor Ricinus communis L. oils) added to the concentrate. Fat thickness (5.0 mm), pH (5.9), Longissimus muscle area 58.0 cm 2 , marbling, texture, color (L* = 36.6, a* = 17.3, and b* = 5.9), lipid oxidation (0.08 malonaldehyde kg -1 meat), and WarnerBratzler shear force (3.3 kg) were unaffected by the diet. PRO and OIL diets had no effect neither on moisture (73.7%), ashes (1.1%), protein (23.8%), and lipids (1.7%), fatty acid composition or polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid (PUFA/ SFA, 0.13), and n-6/n-3 ratio (6.9) on Longissimus muscle. Addition of natural additives as propolis extract or cashew and castor oils in the diet of bulls when they are finished in a feedlot did not change meat qualities.

This study was carried out to evaluate partial replacing of corn (15% of total diet DM) and cashew and castor oils addition on ingestive behavior of Nellore bulls in feedlot. Thirty bulls of 24 ± 2 months old and 400 ± 34 kg body weight were used. The bulls were distributed in a completely randomized design (10 bulls per treatment) and housed in collective pens. The experimental diets were: Control -CON; Glycerine -GLY and Glycerine + Functional oils. The observation scales did not influence time spent eating, ruminating or resting, as well as, the total number of chewing; however the number of periods and the time period for such activities differed among the scales time. There was no difference for the number of observations turns and number of observations per turn for analyzed variables. Glycerine inclusion in the diets caused a decrease on ruminating time and an increase in resting time. The numbers for both eating and resting periods, and time per resting period differed among diets, however, the number for ruminating period, eating time and rumination period were similar among diets. Both glycerine and functional oils inclusion in the diets increased the number of ruminated bolus per day, number of chewed per day and total chewing time for cattle. Key words: Additives, biodiesel, co-product, ethology, plant extracts, ruminant ResumoEste estudo foi realizado para avaliar a substituição parcial do milho (15% da MS total da dieta) e adição de óleos de caju e mamona sobre o comportamento ingestivo de Nelore machos, confinados. Trinta bovinos de 24 ± 2 meses de idade e 400 ± 34 kg de peso corporal foram usados. Os animais foram distribuídos em um modelo estatístico inteiramente casualizado (10 animais por tratamento) e estabulados em baias coletivas. As dietas experimentais foram: Controle -CON; Glicerina -GLI e GOF -Glicerina + óleos funcionais. As escalas de observações não influenciaram o tempo de ingestão, ruminação e ócio, assim como o número total de mastigação; entretanto, o número de período e o tempo de período de cada atividade diferiram entre os tempos de escalas. Não houve diferença para os turnos

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Current study evaluated the effect of different sexual groups and different concentrate levels in diets on animal performance, feed efficiency and carcass characteristics of bovines finished in feedlot. Ninety four bulls and 75 steers Purunã with average age 19 months at the beginning of the feedlot period were used. Animals were maintained in individual pens during 116 days and fed with a diet of corn silage and three concentrate levels (0.8, 1.1, and 1.4% of body weight). The concentrate was formulated with 25% soybean meal, 73% corn grain, 1.0% of a mineral mix and 1.0% limestone and adjusted at every 28 days. The interaction between sexual groups and concentrate levels was not significant for any of the studied variables. Bulls were more efficient than steers ones, with higher average daily gain (1.33 vs. 1.12 kg day -1 ), better feed conversion ratio (6.6 vs. 7.6 kg DM intake kg -1 gain), and higher carcass gain (86.6 vs. 69.2 kg). Increase in concentrate level in diet did not influence animal performance even though a higher DM was observed for animals fed on 1.4% (8.8 kg) and 1.1% (8.4 kg) levels of concentrate when compared with those fed on 0.8% level (7.7 kg).Desempenho de bovinos não castrados e castrados alimentados com três níveis de concentrado na dieta RESUMO. Este trabalho avaliou o efeito de diferentes classes sexuais e níveis de concentrado na dieta sobre o desempenho animal, eficiência alimentar e características de carcaça de bovinos terminados em confinamento. Noventa e quatro machos não castrados e 75 castrados da raça Purunã com 19 meses de idade no início do período experimental foram usados. Os bovinos foram mantidos em baias individuais durante 116 dias e alimentados com uma dieta a base de silagem de milho e três níveis de concentrado (0,8; 1,1 e 1,4% do peso corporal). Os concentrados foram formulados com 25% de farelo de soja, 73% de milho, 1% de sal mineral e 1% de calcário; ajustados a cada 28 dias. A interação grupo sexual e níveis de concentrado não foi significativa para nenhuma das variáveis estudadas. Os machos não castrados foram mais eficientes do que os machos castrados, com maior ganho em peso (1,33 vs. 1,12 kg dia -1 ), melhor conversão alimentar (6,6 vs. 7,6 kg de ingestão de MS kg -1 de ganho em peso) e maior ganho em peso de carcaça (86,6 vs. 69,2 kg). O aumento dos níveis de concentrado na dieta não influenciou o desempenho animal, embora maior ingestão em MS tenha sido observada para os animais alimentados com 1,4% (8,8 kg) e 1,1% (8,4 kg) níveis de concentrado quando comparado com os animais alimentados com níveis de 0,8% de concentrado (7,7 kg).Palavras-chave: eficiência, ingestão de alimentos, grupo sexual, ganho em peso. 324Moletta et al.