Carcass characteristics, non-carcass components and meat quality of Nellore cattle in a feedlot and fed with different corn hybrids

Resumo

The objective of this study was to evaluate carcass characteristics, non-carcass components and meat quality of Nellore cattle in feedlot and fed with different corn hybrids (flint, semi-flint and semi-dent) in the diet. Twenty-seven animals averaging 350 ± 24 kg of body weight and 24 months of age were used. The animals were distributed in a completely randomized design with three treatments (T), where, T1- diet with flint corn (TDFC), T2- diet with semi-flint corn (TDSFC) and T3- diet with semi-dent corn (TDSDC), with 9 replicates per treatment. The animals were fed ad libitum twice daily (at 8:00 am and 4:00pm) with isocaloric and isonitrogenous diet, with 30% of sugar cane bagasse and 70% concentrate (88% maize, 8% soybean meal, 3% mineral and vitamin supplement and 1% urea) for 95 days (14 days of adaptation and 3 experimental periods of 27 days each). The animals were weighed at the beginning of the experiment and after each period of 27 days, always in a fasting period of 16 hours. At the end of the experiment, the animals were slaughtered in commercial slaughterhouse, measuring non-carcass components (weight of blood, feet, hide, head, tail, organs, fat removed for cleaning), gastrointestinal tract (pharynx, esophagus, stomach and intestines) and carcass characteristics (hot carcass, cold carcass yield, carcass length, leg length, thigh thickness, perimeter of leg, arm length, arm thickness, arm perimeter, front weight, rear weight and conformation). Sample was collected from HH joint for evaluation of the percentage of bone, muscle and fat and subsequent use of the Longissimus dorsi muscle for evaluation of fat cover thickness, marbling, Longissimus muscle área (LMA), degree of finish, water loss, pH, beef color, fat color and proximate analysis of meat. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between treatments for the evaluated parameters for carcass characteristics and non-carcass components. For the parameters of meat quality, there was significant difference (P<0.05) between treatments only in pH after 24 hours of slaughter. It is concluded that the use of different corn hybrids in the concentrated diet in feedlot cattle does not influence the carcass characteristics, noncarcass characteristics and meat quality.