Carcass characteristics and meat quality of lambs fed babassu cake (Orbignya speciosa) as a replacement for elephant grass silage

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of the partial replacement of elephant grass silage with babassu cake (Orbignya speciosa) on the carcass characteristics and meat quality of feedlot lambs. Forty-five castrated male Santa Ines sheep (19.08 ± 0.41 kg) approximately 4 months old were distributed in a completely randomized design, with five treatments 0.0, 12.5, 25.0, 37.5 and 50 % (%DM) replacement of babassu cake with silage forming isoproteic diets formulated at a ratio of 40 % roughage to 60 % concentrate. All of the studied animals were slaughtered at the end of the experiment. The liver weights and yields increased with the inclusion of babassu cake. The weight of the shoulder increased from 2.31 to 2.61 kg, while the loin yield decreased from 7.38 to 6.64 % with the inclusion of babassu cake, both linearly. The body length, thoracic perimeter, rump perimeter and carcass compactness index showed high and positive correlations with the hot and cold carcass weights. The myofibrillar fragmentation index decreased linearly as a function of the inclusion level of babassu cake, but other quality variables were not affected. The replacement of up to 50 % of the elephant grass silage with babassu cake in the diet of lambs does not cause negative effects on carcass characteristics or meat quality.

Performance and digestibility of confined lambs fed with Babassu cake (Orbignya speciosa) as a substitute for elephant grass silage

“…The animals that received babassu cake exhibited an increased deposition of ether extract (Table 4) in the chemical composition of the carcass weight gain without a change in the amount of deposited protein. This finding, and the minor crude protein digestibility, suggest that nitrogen was less efficiently used with the use of babassu cake (Luz et al, 2017) due to a possible difference in the profile of absorbed amino acids, protein deamination to ammonia, and nitrogen recycling, which may have led to greater deposition of ether extract in the carcass. In addition, a higher ether extract intake and digestibility (Table 3) and lower crude protein digestibility occurred with babassu cake in the diets, with the babassu resulting in a greater amount of ether extract in the carcass.…”

“…The babassu cake is characterized as a bulky food with a low commercial value. This byproduct is easy to use due to its moisture content (<15%), which allows it to be easily mixed with the other ingredients in feedlot animal diets (Luz et al, 2017). Another feature that makes its use attractive is the possibility of reducing costs with labor and equipment for making silage during periods of the year when fodder must be conserved for feeding feedlot animals.…”

Babassu Cake in Goat Diet Improves Growth Performance and Quality and Fatty Acid Profile of Meat

“…[ 7 ] The industrial extraction of this oil generally involves a mechanical press and the use of solvents, generating ≈337 kg of waste for each ton of kernels used. [ 8 ] The waste generated is called BC, which is widely used for feeding ruminants in the region where it is produced.…”

Chemical composition and rumen degradability of byproducts available in the Amazon region

“…The use of alternative feeds in diets can improve the quantity and quality of ruminant feed by including regional byproducts purchased at low cost to replace traditional ingredients, such as corn and soybean meal, among other ingredients of high commercial value. Therefore, many studies have been conducted in recent years to assess whether these byproducts can be used without negatively affecting animal production (LUZ et al, 2017;ELIYAHU et al, 2015;ABUBAKRET al., 2013;HABIB et al, 2013).…”