Intake, digestibility, and performance of lambs fed spineless cactus cv. Orelha de Elefante Mexicana.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of the carmine cochineal-resistant spineless cactus genotypes cv. Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (Opuntia) and Miúda (Nopalea) on the intake and digestibility of nutrients, ingestive behavior, performance, and ultrasound measurements of growing lambs. METHODS: Thirty-six male (non-castrated) Santa Inês lambs were used, with an average age of 6 months and an initial average weight of 22.0±2.9 kg. They were distributed in a completely randomized design with 3 treatments (Tifton hay, Nopalea and Opuntia) and 12 replications, using initial weight as a covariate. The experimental period was 86 days, with the first 30 days used for the adaptation of the animals to the facilities, diets and management, and the remaining 56 days used for evaluation and data collection. RESULTS: The intake and apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total carbohydrates (TC), non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC), and total digestible nutrients (TDN) showed a significant difference (p<0.05) as a function of the diets, with the Nopalea treatment (p<0.05) increasing DM intake (g/kg and % body weight [BW]), CP, TDN, and TC digestibility, whereas the Tifton hay diet led to a high (p<0.001) neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (NDFap) g/d intake, NDFap (BW %) and digestibility of said nutrient. There was no effect of treatments (p>0.05) on feeding time, however, rumination time and total chewing time were higher (p<0.05) for animals fed Tifton hay. The performance of the animals was similar (p>0.05). For the ultrasound measurements, Nopalea promoted an increase in the final loin eye area, compared to Tifton hay. CONCLUSION: The use of spineless cactus variety Miúda leads to the greater intake and digestibility of nutrients. The evaluated carmine cochineal-resistant spineless cactus genotypes are alternatives for semi-arid regions as they do not negatively affect the performance of growing lambs.

Carcass characteristics of lambs fed diets with increasing levels of crude glycerin.

OBJECTIVE: An experiment was conducted to the effects of increasing levels of crude glycerin (0, 6, 12 and 18%) used as a substitute for corn in lamb feed on the quantitative characteristics of the carcass. METHODS: A total of 40 crossbred Santa Inês lambs that were four months old with a mean initial weight of 21.0 ± 0.8 kg were randomly distributed in four treatments with ten replicates. The animals were slaughtered after 66 days of confinement. The effects of crude glycerin as a replacement for corn in the diet of the lambs on the carcass characteristics, commercial cut weight and yield and carcass measurements were studied. RESULTS: There was an increasing linear effect for body weight at slaughter with the replacement of corn by crude glycerin. The dry matter (DM) and metabolizable energy (ME) intakes, weight of the empty body, hot carcass weight and cold carcass weight showed a quadratic effect, with maximum crude glycerin levels estimated at 10.9, 9.8, 10.83, 11.78 and 11.35%, respectively. The initial pH was not influenced by the substitution of corn for crude glycerin, while the final pH presented a quadratic effect. The other parameters of the carcass and the weights and yields of commercial cuts were not influenced. There was also no effect of the diets on carcass morphometric measurements, except for the thoracic perimeter and the carcass compactness index, which presented quadratic and linear effects, respectively. CONCLUSION: Crude glycerin can replace up to 18% of corn because favour the muscle tissue deposition without promoting changes in the main carcass characteristics of lambs.

The inclusion of spineless cactus in the diet of lambs increases fattening of the carcass.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of replacement maniçoba hay by spineless cactus on the performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of confined lambs. Thirty-two male lambs, with an average body weight of 20.8 ±â€¯2.9 kg, were fed with different levels of spineless cactus in replacement for 0, 33, 66 or 100% of maniçoba hay (i.e. 0, 200, 400, 600 g kg-1 of dietary DM). The replacement maniçoba hay by spineless cactus did not influence dry matter intake (g d-1) and cold carcass weight (P > .05), but increased (P < .05) the carcass finishing fat but did not influence (P < .05) the physical characteristics of the lambs' meat. Lower values for odor, flavor and purchase intention of meat were observed with 66% of replacement. Therefore, replacement of 33% maniçoba hay by spineless cactus can be recommended as optimal level, because it improve the fattening of the carcass, without causing negative effects on performance or meat quality.

Colorimetria da carne de cordeiros alimentados com dietas contendo glicerina bruta / Colorimetry of meat lambs fed diets with crude glycerin

Foram utilizados 40 cordeiros machos distribuídos casualmente em quatro tratamentos e dez repetições. Ao final do experimento os animais foram abatidos, para obtenção das carcaças e análise qualitativa da carne, onde foi utilizado o Longissimus lumborum. As leituras foram realizadas com auxílio de um colorímetro, através de três mensurações em diferentes pontos do músculo, utilizando-se os valores médios de cromaticidades L*, a* e b* para representação da coloração. Os resultados da análise de regressão demonstraram que não houve influência da substituição do milho pela glicerina bruta sobre a colorimetria da carne. Conclui-se que a glicerina bruta pode substituir o milho sem que influencie nas características qualitativas da carne de cordeiros, não alterando os parâmetros físico-químicos de cromaticidade do músculo.