Maternal nutrition during the late gestation affects marbling fat in offspring. Wagyu cattle are well known for their very high marbling with more unsaturated fatty acid contents, but they grow slower than Angus cattle. The interaction between maternal diet and breed on marbling fat development is unclear. To examine, Angus cows (621 ± 73kg) were selected and separated into two groups, bred with either Angus or Wagyu semen. During the last 90 d of gestation, cows in each group were further separated and received either a low protein diet (85% of the NRC metabolizable protein requirement), which mimics the protein intake common in Northwestern region when fed a wheat straw based diet, or a high protein diet (108% NRC requirement). All progeny were managed together and harvested at a final body weight of 576.5± 16.6 kg. For Wagyu sired offspring, marbling score and quality grade was higher than Angus (P < 0.01), and also had higher Ribeye area (P = 0.07). The marbling scores were higher for the low protein diet for all except Wagyu steers. No difference was detected in KPH fat and the yield grade was higher for Wagyu sired cattle than Angus (P < 0.01). In both diets, Angus offspring showed higher shear force (P < 0.05). When grouped according to sex, higher marbling was observed in heifers (P < 0.01). No difference was found in cooking yield, drip loss, but Wagyu sired offspring had thicker back fat than Angus (P < 0.01). Within the high protein diet, Wagyu beef had higher linoleic acid content compared to Angus (P < 0.05). In conclusion, Wagyu sired cattle had better quality and yield compared to Angus sired, and protein supplementation during the late gestation had no major effect on beef quality. (Supported by the USDA-NIFA grants 2015-67015-23219/2016-68006-24634 to MD)
Wheat straw based diets are commonly fed to pregnant cows in Pacific Northwest, which may not meet protein requirements, but its impact on growth performance of offspring is unclear. Angus is the most common breed in this region while Wagyu is gaining popularity due to enhanced meat quality. The interaction between maternal nutrition and breed on growth performance of calves was examined. Angus cross cows (621 ± 73kg) were selected and randomly allotted to two groups and inseminated with either Angus or Wagyu semen. At 185 days of pregnancy, cows in each group were further separated into two-subgroups: control diet (CON, n = 21) received 85 % of the NRC metabolizable protein requirement, and protein supplemented group (SUPP, n = 21) received 108 % of requirement until calving. Then, cows and calves were moved to pastures and the cow calf pairs grazed rangeland. After weaning, calves were backgrounded, finished, and harvested at a body weight of 576.5 ± 16.6 kg. There were no differences between CON and SUPP in birth weight. However, SUPP increased 205 days adjusted weaning weight of Wagyu progeny (P < 0.01) and average daily gain (ADG) during the period of birth to weaning (P < 0.05) compared to calves from cows fed the CON diet. Moreover, Angus progeny had higher 205 days adjusted weaning weight (P < 0.01) and ADG during birth to weaning than Wagyu fed SUPP diet (P = 0.056). In both treatments, Angus gained weight faster and showed higher weight before finishing than Wagyu (P < 0.05). Angus had higher harvest weight (P < 0.01) and maternal protein supplementation tended to increase the dressing percent (P = 0.06). In conclusion, maternal protein supplementation enhanced growth performance of Wagyu but not Angus cattle, and Angus grew faster than Wagyu sired cattle. (Supported by USDA-NIFA grants 2015-67015-23219/2016-68006-24634 to MD)
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