Influence of Hempseed Meal on Fresh Goat Meat Characteristics Stored in Vacuum Packaging.

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of hempseed meal (HSM) on goat meat characteristics. Goats (N = 10/treatment) were allocated to a diet concentration (0, 10, 20, or 30%) of HSM, fed for 60 days, and harvested. Carcass measurements were collected after chilling, and subsequently fabricated into wholesale subprimals. From the subprimals of the shoulder and leg, steaks were cut 2.54 cm thick, vacuum packaged, and assigned to laboratory methods: cook yield, instrumental color, lipid oxidation, microbial spoilage, and instrumental tenderness. HSM did not alter (p > 0.05) carcass characteristics, microbial spoilage, cook loss, or the thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS). However, a decrease in objective tenderness measurements (p < 0.05) was observed with greater concentrations of HSM supplementation in the diet. Instrumental surface color values for lightness (L*) indicated that steaks became lighter and less red (a*) as storage time increased (p < 0.05). Results suggest that HSM and storage time do not alter some goat meat traits, but HSM or storage time separately may influence goat meat quality. HSM may be an effective feed ingredient that does not alter carcass quality or meat yield.

Impact of Packaging Film and Beef Trimmings on Ground Beef Shelf Life.

Fresh beef storage in the retail setting can be presented in a variety of packaging methods, and identifying an alternative such as vacuum packaging to current traditional methods could potentially increase shelf life and reduce meat waste. The objective of this study was to identify the influence of packaging film and lean trimming sources on fresh ground beef surface color during a simulated retail display period. There were no differences (p > 0.05) in surface color redness (a*), yellowness (b*), chroma, or hue angle regardless of packaging film or lean trimmings. However, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were greater (p < 0.05) for packages containing a greater percentage of CULL beef trimmings regardless of packaging film. In addition, pH values of ground beef packages did not differ (p > 0.05) among packaging film or lean trimming blends. Visual color did not differ (p > 0.05) throughout the simulated retail display period regardless of beef trimmings or packaging film. Microbial spoilage organisms were greater (p < 0.05) after the simulated display period. These results suggest that ground beef presented in a simulated retail setting using an alternative packaging platform, such as vacuum packaging, is plausible.

Evaluation of nitrogen-delivery methods for stocker cattle grazing annual ryegrass.

A 2-yr grazing experiment was conducted to evaluate efficacy of nitrogen (N) fertilization, interseeded legumes, and protein supplementation for N delivery to stocker cattle grazing annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum). Each year, 90 steers (initial BW, 241 ± 13 kg) were assigned to the following N-delivery methods, with or without monensin fed in a free-choice mineral supplement as a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments: ryegrass fertilized with 112 kg N/ha (NFERT); ryegrass interseeded with crimson clover (CC, Trifolium incarnatum); ryegrass interseeded with arrowleaf clover (AC, Trifolium vesiculosum); ryegrass plus distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) supplemented at 0.65% BW daily; and ryegrass plus whole cottonseed (WCS) supplemented at 0.65% BW daily. Pastures within the interseeded-clover and protein-supplementation treatments were fertilized with 56 kg N/ha at time of establishment. Steers were weighed every 28 d, and forage mass (FM, kg DM/ha) was measured concurrently using the destructive harvest/disk meter double-sampling method. Each of 30 0.81-ha paddocks was stocked initially with 3 "tester" steers, and stocking density (steers/ha) was adjusted using "put-and-take steers" based on changes in FM and steer BW in order to maintain a uniform forage allowance (FA) of 1 kg DM/kg steer BW. Grazing was discontinued on May 11, 2016 in Yr 1 and May 10, 2017 in Yr 2 following 140 and 84 d of grazing, respectively. Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design with repeated measures for which pasture (n = 3) was the experimental unit. Ionophore inclusion did not affect (P > 0.10) any variable measured. Mean FM differed (P < 0.0001) between years and among N-delivery methods (P < 0.10), and mean FA differed (P = 0.005) among N-delivery methods. Steer ADG differed among N-delivery methods (P = 0.02) and between years (P < 0.001), whereas total gain/ha differed (P < 0.0008) among N-delivery methods, but not between years (P = 0.78). Stocking density differed among N-delivery methods (P = 0.02) and between years (P < 0.0001), and grazing-days/ha differed between years (P < 0.0001) and among N-delivery methods (P = 0.001). Results indicate that supplementation with a high-protein by-product feed for cattle grazing annual ryegrass maintained ADG, total gain/ha and grazing-days/ha compared with N-fertilized annual ryegrass, and increased ADG, total gain/ha, and grazing-days over interseeded legumes.

Cow-calf performance, forage utilization, and economics of warm-season annual baleage in beef cattle winter feeding systems.

A 52-d winter feeding trial was conducted to determine animal performance, utilization, and economics of pearl millet (PM) baleage, sorghum × sudangrass (SS) baleage, and "Tifton 85" bermudagrass (B) hay for lactating beef cow-calf pairs. Cone (C) and open-shaped (O) rings were evaluated for potential to minimize forage wastage. The experiment was a completely randomized design with a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments for each forage type × hay ring (3 cow-calf pairs per treatment; 2 replications per treatment). Animal response measures included cow body weight (BW) change and body condition score (BCS) over the 52-d trial, initial and final calf BW, and cow milk production at the midpoint and end of the study. Forage nutritive value parameters evaluated for each forage type included ash, crude protein (CP), in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin (ADL). Forage wastage was estimated for each forage × ring treatment as the percentage of the bale weight remaining in feeding rings at the time of bale replacement. An economic evaluation of the relative costs associated with production and utilization of each forage type was calculated. There were no differences (P ≥ 0.10) in cow BW change or BCS change among forage types, between ring shapes, or an interaction observed for these response variables. Proportion of waste from PM and SS baleage was greater (P < 0.10) than for B hay, although there was no forage type × hay ring interaction or differences between O and C hay ring treatments for forage waste (P ≥ 0.10, respectively). Cow milk production and calf BW gain did not differ among forage type (P ≥ 0.10, respectively); however, beef calves in pens containing the O ring feeder weighed 6 kg more (P ≤ 0.05) than calves whose dams were fed using C rings. The economic analysis implies that it is more costly to feed warm-season annual forage baleage to cow-calf pairs than dry hay, largely due to greater costs of production, lack of difference in animal performance responses, and less utilization of baleage compared with feeding bermudagrass hay in this trial.