ARTICLE Performance and carcass characteristics of cattle fed lipid sources in the diet Erico da Silva Lima, Jozivaldo Prudêncio Gomes de Morais, Roberto de Oliveira Roça, Tiago Neves Pereira Valente, Ernani Nery de Andrade, and Bruno Borges Deminicis Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the inclusion of different lipid sources [whole cottonseed (CS) and protected fat in diets containing sugarcane, corn, citrus pulp, CS meal, and urea] on animal performance, hot carcass dressing (HCD), ribeye area (RA), fat thickness (FT), and postmortem pH of the meat of Nellore cattle during finishing. The treatments evaluated were feed with 2.50% CS (control diet, T1 treatment); feed with 11.50% CS (high CS, T2 treatment); and feed with 3.13% CS added of protected lipid (PL) (T3 treatment), all on a DM basis. The forage:concentrate ratio of the diet was 50:50. Thirty-nine intact steers with average initial body weight of 494 kg and 36 months old were confined for 63 d. The addition of lipid sources tested in this study did not affect dry matter intake, crude protein intake, neutral detergent fiber intake, final live weight, average daily weight gain, HCD, RA, FT, and meat pH. It was concluded that the addition of PLs in the diet did not affect weight gain and carcass characteristics. Key words: fat, protected fat, ribeye area, production efficiency, weight gain, whole cottonseed. Résumé : Le but de cette étude était de déterminer l’effet de l’ajout de différentes sources de lipides (graine entière de coton et gras protégés dans les diètes contenant la canne à sucre, le maïs, la pulpe d’agrumes, le tourteau de graine de coton et l’urée) sur la performance animale, l’habillage des carcasses à chaud (HCD — « hot carcass dressing »), l’aire du faux-filet (RA — « ribeye area »), l’épaisseur du gras (FT — « fat thickness »), ainsi que le pH postmortem de la viande des bovins Nellore pendant la finition. Les traitements évalués étaient : nourriture avec 2,50 % de graines de coton (diète témoin, appelée traitement T1); nourriture avec 11,50 % de graines de coton (forte teneur en graines de coton, appelée traitement T2); et nourriture avec 3,13 % de graines de coton ajoutées des lip- ides protégés (appelée traitement T3), le tout basé sur les matières sèches. Le ratio de fourrage à concentré était de 50:50. Trente-neuf bouvillons intacts de poids corporel initial moyen de 494 kg et âgés de 36 mois ont été confinés pendant 63 jours. L’ajout des sources de lipides à l’essai lors de cette étude n’a pas eu d’effet sur l’ingestion des matières sèches (DMI — « dry matter intake »), l’ingestion de protéines brutes (CPI — « crude protein intake »), l’ingestion des fibres aux détergent neutre, le poids corporel final vif, le gain de poids moyen quotidien, le HCD, Received 17 December 2015. Accepted 5 May 2016. E.S. Lima.* Environmental Health, FMU, São Paulo, SP 04104-020, Brazil. J.P.G. Morais. Agricultural Sciences Center, UFSCar, Araras, SP 13565-905, Brazil. R.O. Roça. UNESP, FCA, Botucatu, SP 18610-307, Brazil. T.N.P. Valente. Instituto Federal Goiano, Posse Campus, GO 73900-000, Brazil. E.N. Andrade. Faculdade de Ensino Superior e Formação Integral (FAEF), Garça, SP 17512-130, Brazil. B.B. Deminicis. University of Southern Bahia, Teixeira de Freitas, BA 45988-058, Brazil. Corresponding author: Tiago Neves Pereira Valente (email: tiago.valente@ifgoiano.edu.br). Abbreviations: ADFom-ADF, acid detergent fiber expressed exclusive of residual ash; aNDFom-NDF, neutral detergent fiber assayed with a heat stable amylase and expressed exclusive of residual ash; aNDFom-NDFI, NDF intake; CD, control diet; CS, cottonseed; CSFA, calcium salts of fatty acid; CP, crude protein; CPI, crude protein intake; DE, digestible energy; DM, dry matter; DMI, dry matter intake; DWG, daily weight gain; EE, ether extract; FLW, final live weight; FT, fat thickness;HCD, hot carcass dressing;HCW, hot carcass weight; ILW, initial live weight; LIG(sa), lignin determined by solubilization of cellulose with sulfuric acid; ME, metabolizable energy; MM, mineral matter; NFCs, nonfiber carbohydrates; PL, protected lipid; RA, ribeye area; TDNs, total digestible nutrients. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest related to this study. *This article is part of this author’s Ph.D. thesis. Copyright remains with the author(s) or their institution(s). Permission for reuse (free in most cases) can be obtained from RightsLink. 581 Can. J. Anim. Sci. 96: 581–588 (2016) dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2015-0203 Published at www.nrcresearchpress.com/cjas on 15 September 2016. C an . J . A ni m . S ci . D ow nl oa de d fr om w w w .n rc re se ar ch pr es s. co m b y U N E SP U N IV E R SI D A D E E ST A D U A L P A U L IS T A J U L IO M E SQ U IT A F IL H O o n 05 /0 7/ 19 Fo r pe rs on al u se o nl y. mailto:tiago.valente@ifgoiano.edu.br http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/authors/services/reprints http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2015-0203 www.nrcresearchpress.com/cjas la RA, la FT, et le pH de la viande. Il a été conclu que l’ajout des lipides protégés à la diète n’a pas d’effet sur le gain de poids et les caractéristiques de la carcasse. [Traduit par la Rédaction] Mots-clés : gras, gras protégé, aire du faux-filet, efficacité de production, gain de poids, graine entière de coton. Introduction The current low profitability of the Brazilian beef industry stimulates the search for technologies that may increase herd productivity. Feed cost is an impor- tant factor impacting the successful confinement of beef cattle (Maxwell et al. 2015). According to Leme et al. (2003), feed represents about 85% of the production costs, with concentrate cost as the main limiting factor in this system. Nowadays, except for some market niches, carcasses should have a greater proportion of muscle and mini- mum amount of fat. Fat content should be just enough to prevent dehydration and darkening under refrigera- tion and to ensure meat juiciness and taste (Luchiari Filho 2000; Agastin et al. 2013). Adequate carcass yield and fat thickness (FT) should be achieved taking eco- nomic aspects into consideration. The use of alternative products and by-products from agroindustrial activities may be an option to feed beef cattle in an attempt to reduce costs. The use of fatty by- products may be an alternative to decrease the use of starch-rich feeds without compromising the energy lev- els of the diet. Cottonseed (CS) is one of the ingredients that have been widely used in ruminant feeding to achieve this aim (Cranston et al. 2006; Costa et al. 2013; Lima et al. 2015a). However, it is important to consider that excess dietary lipids may cause negative impacts on the digestion of fiber in the rumen andmay influence animal performance (Palmquist and Conrad 1980; Jenkins 1993). The use of calcium together with fat in the diet [protected lipid (PL)] helps prevent the negative effects of dietary fiber on digestion in diets containing more than 40% forage (Rogério et al. 2003; Costa et al. 2011). Therefore, in specific feeding conditions, the use of PLs is an adequate alternative. The objective of this study was to investigate if access to lipid sources such as CS or CS added of PL may improve performance and carcass characteristics in beef cattle. Materials and Methods All experimental procedures followed the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC 2009). Experimental site The study was carried out in a beef cattle farm located at 22°04′00″S, 47°09′03″W, average altitude of 615 m (Brazil). The region is characterized by a hot, humid sea- son from October to March followed by a cold, dry sea- son from May to September. The climate of the region is classified as Cwa by the Köppen classification (meso- thermal, with hot and humid summers and dry winters). Animal management, feeding, and treatment A group of 39 intact male Nellore animals raised in Brachiaria humidicola pastures were used in the study. Mean age of the animals was 36 mo, and initial mean live weight was 494.05 ± 10.05 kg [standard error (SE)]. Animals were identified and dewormed before the beginning of the trial. Animals were then randomly assigned to one of the three treatments, on a dry matter (DM) basis: feed with 2.50% CS (control diet, called T1 treatment), feed with 11.50% CS (high CS, called T2 treatment), and feed with 3.13% CS with the addition of 1.77% PL (CS + PL, called T3 treatment). Animals were confined for 63 d. Diets were formulated according to the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System software (CNCPS 4.0; Cornell University 2000) for uncastrated finishing cattle to provide weight gains of 1.4 kg animal−1 d−1. Forage:con- centrate ratio was 50:50. Sugarcane was used as forage, and concentrate was made up of urea, cracked corn ker- nels, citrus pulp, cotton meal, CS, and (or) PL. The PL used in this study was made from commercial soybean oil, which undergoes saponification with calcium salts for protection of the long-chain fatty acids. Laboratory analy- sis of this product showed the following nutritional com- position: 95.5% DM, 85.2% ether extract (EE), and 14.8% mineral matter (MM). Animals were fed manually every day at 0800 and 1600 in a whole diet system with about 5% leftovers, which were weighed in the morning for diet adjustment. Nutritional composition of the diets is shown in Table 1. During the experimental period, animals were weighed every 21 d, always after a 14-h solid food fasting, to assess mean daily weight gain (DWG), calculated as the difference between the latest and actual live weights divided by the number of days in the respective period. Samples of the experimental diets, sugarcane, and concentrate were collected every 7 d, placed in plastic bags, and stored in a freezer (–4 °C) to be analyzed later. After thawing, composite samples were obtained for a 21-d period. Samples of feed and forage were weighed and oven dried at 60 °C for 72 h. Then, samples were processed in a Wiley® knife mill to pass through 1-mm screen sieves and stored in plastic bags. Samples were analyzed for DM, crude protein (CP), and MM according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) (1990), EE (Thiex et al. 2003), neutral detergent fiber assayed with heat stable amylase and expressed exclusive of residual ash (aNDFom-NDF), acid detergent fiber expressed exclusive of residual ash (ADFom-ADF) 582 Can. J. Anim. Sci. Vol. 96, 2016 Published by NRC Research Press C an . J . A ni m . S ci . D ow nl oa de d fr om w w w .n rc re se ar ch pr es s. co m b y U N E SP U N IV E R SI D A D E E ST A D U A L P A U L IS T A J U L IO M E SQ U IT A F IL H O o n 05 /0 7/ 19 Fo r pe rs on al u se o nl y. (Van Soest et al. 1991), and acid method of fiber analysis [LIG(sa); AOAC 1990; Gomes et al. 2011] after sequential extractions with neutral detergent followed by acid detergent (Van Soest et al. 1991). In the aNDFom-NDF analyses, thermostable α-amylase was used without sodium sulfite (Mertens 2002), using an Ankom® fiber extractor, according to Valente et al. (2015). Nonfiber car- bohydrates (NFCs) in the ingredients of the diets were determined by the following equation: NFC = 100 − (%aNDFom − NDF + %CP + %EE + %MM), according to Sniffen et al. (1992). Due to the presence of urea in the diets, NFC was calculated as indicated by Hall (2000): NFC = 100 − [(%CP − %CP from urea + %urea) + %aNDFom − NDF + %EE + %MM]. Estimated metaboliz- able energy (ME; in Mcal kg−1 of DM) was determined according to the National Research Council (NRC) (1996) recommendations, considering that 1 kg of total digest- ible nutrients (TDNs) contains 4.409 Mcal of digestible energy (DE), with the factor 0.82 used in the conversion from ED to EM. Results of these analyses carried out in the software CQBAL 3.0 (Valdares Filho et al. 2012) are shown in Tables 2 and 3. After 63 d of the study, animals were weighed for the last time after a 14-h solid food fasting. Mean final live weight (FLW) was 577.01 ± 11.34 kg. Soon after being weighed, animals were transported to a slaughterhouse, in solid food fasting until the moment they were slaugh- tered. After slaughter, carcasses were identified and divided into two halves that were kept in a cold chamber for 24 h at 2 °C. Chemical analysis of the meat The pH of the meat 24 h after slaughter of the animals was determined in the longissimus thoracis muscle, near the 12th and 13th ribs, using a pH meter. After that, part of longissimus thoracis was removed from each left half carcass. These samples yielded 2.5-cm thick steaks that were identified, vacuum packed in plastic bags, and then frozen in a freezer at −18 °C. Before the analyses, sam- ples of the longissimus thoracis were thawed to 4 °C in a refrigerator for 24 h and then removed from the plastic bags to be analyzed. Ribeye area (RA) measurement in the longissimus thoracis was carried out by drawing on tracing paper followed by observation in a scanner (model MDD 1812 — DIGICOM). Images were analyzed in a computer provided with SPLAN software. Evaluation of FT was carried out by means of a digital pachymeter (Digimess®) at the top area of the longissimus thoracis muscle. Hot carcass dressing Hot carcass dressing (HCD) was determined by means of the ratio between hot carcass weight (HCW) (immedi- ately after carcass trimming) and FLW (Müller 1980), obtained the last time that the animals were weighed at the farm, after a 14-h solid food fasting. Statistical procedures and model evaluation A completely random design with three treatments and 13 repetitions was used, according to the Υij = μ + Ti + eij model, where Yij is the value observed in the jth experimental unit (animal) that received the ith treat- ment; μ is the overall mean; Ti is the fixed effect of the ith treatment; and eij is the experimental error related to the experimental unit. Data on initial weight, slaugh- ter weight, live weight gain, HCD, RA, and FT were ana- lyzed by means of the GLM (generalized linear models) of the SAS/STAT 9.0 software (SAS Institute Inc. 2002), and means were compared using Tukey’s test at a 5% significance level. Results No differences (P > 0.05) were found for the three treatments for dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein intake (CPI), or NDF intake (aNDFom-NDFI), shown in Table 4. Mean DMI was 11.55 kg d−1, while CP intake was 1.24 kg d−1. Mean aNDFom-NDFI was 5.20 kg d−1. Table 5 shows mean FLW and mean DWG of Nellore cattle according to the lipid source in their diets. It may be noted that there were no differences (P> 0.05) among the treatments, mean FLW was 577.01 kg, and DWG was 1.32 kg d−1. There were no differences (P> 0.05) among treatments for HCW and HCD of Nellore cattle as a function of the lipid sources in the diet (Table 6), with mean values of 293.45 kg for HCW and 49.94% to HCD. Results related to RA are shown in Table 6. It may be observed that there were no differences (P> 0.05) among the treatments and that the mean value was 82.95 cm2. However, T1 treatment showed higher results: 86.31 cm2 vs. 80.52 cm2 observed in T3 treatment. Table 1. Percentage composition of the diets on a DM basis. Treatment Ingredients (%) T1 T2 T3 Sugarcane 50.00 50.00 50.00 Cracked corn 14.64 13.07 13.12 Citrus pulp 21.61 17.81 20.61 Cottonseed 2.50 11.50 3.13 Cottonseed meal 9.30 5.78 9.42 Urea 0.83 0.83 0.83 Protected fat — — 1.77 Mineral mixa 0.83 0.83 0.83 Potassium chloride 0.28 0.17 0.28 Ionophores 0.01 0.01 0.01 Note: Percentage composition of the diets: T1 = treatment with 2.50% CS, T2 = treatment with 11.50% CS, and T3 = treatment with 3.13% CS added of 1.77% PL. aComposition per kilogram: P = 60 g; Ca = 180 g; Mg = 5 g; S = 17 g; Na = 135 g; Cu = 650 mg; Mn = 500 mg; Zn = 2400 mg; I = 48 mg; Co = 38 mg; Se = 12 mg. Lima et al. 583 Published by NRC Research Press C an . J . A ni m . S ci . D ow nl oa de d fr om w w w .n rc re se ar ch pr es s. co m b y U N E SP U N IV E R SI D A D E E ST A D U A L P A U L IS T A J U L IO M E SQ U IT A F IL H O o n 05 /0 7/ 19 Fo r pe rs on al u se o nl y. There were no differences (P > 0.05) between treat- ments in relation to FT, and mean value was 2.61 mm (Table 6). T2 treatment showed mean value of 2.98 mm, which was the highest value found. No differences in meat pH 24 h after slaughter were observed in Nellore cattle fed different sources of fat (Table 6), and mean value for this variable was 5.59. Discussion The addition of fat to the diet did not alter the intake of DM, CP, and neutral detergent fiber compared with the control diet. Similar results were obtained by Rosa et al. (2013) in a recent study with young Nellore bulls fed different sources of fat, protected or not from rumen degradation. Diets were formulated with the same amount of protein and with a forage:concentrate ratio of 40:60, with sugarcane as the only roughage. Formulation of diet in this experiment was very similar, with a forage:concentrate ratio of 50:50, with sugarcane as the only source of forage. Normally, there is a reduc- tion in DMI in ruminants fed lipids (Jenkins 1993). However, other authors, e.g., Cranston et al. (2006), reported increased DMI in cattle fed diets containing CS compared with those fed the CD diet, and the response was possibly a function of NDF and energy concentra- tions of the diets, which are generally negatively corre- lated (diets with greater fiber concentrations tend to be less energetically dense). The absence of differences (P> 0.05) between the treat- ments in relation to FLW and DWG is due to the level of EE in the diet in this study, and this fat concentration did not compromise animal performance. However, Rosa et al. (2013) in a study in Brazil with young Nellore bulls in a feedlot concluded that the inclusion of vegeta- ble oils, protected or not from rumen degradation, improves performance and carcass characteristics, regardless of the type of fat. DWG in this study was within the expected range. The diet was planned for DWG of 1.4 kg, and Nellore steers showed a mean gain of 1.32 kg, with T1 showing lower DWG, with mean of 1.24 kg. According to Lima et al. (2015b), more studies are necessary on the nutrition, performance, and carcass characteristics of ruminants. The main problem found in feedlots is related to metabolic disorders caused by excess starch fermentation in the rumen. The addition of lipid can be an alternative to decreasing the inclusion of starch, maintaining the same energy level of the diet (Palmquist and Conrad 1980). T2 treatment had the high- est EE value (5.18%) although, according to the extensive review of Jenkins (1993), this fat content is not enough to affect the development of rumen microorganisms. In studies with the same variables, Aferri et al. (2005), with Table 3. Mean chemical composition of experimental diets for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), nonfiber carbohydrates (NFCs), neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom-NDF), mineral matter (MM), total digestibility nutrient (TDN), and metabolizable energy (ME) used in different treatments.a Treatment Item T1 T2 T3 DM 58.09 58.50 58.26 CP 11.11 10.90 11.11 EE 3.57 5.18 5.11 NFCb 38.61 35.03 36.88 aNDFom-NDF 43.56 45.83 43.52 MM 3.15 3.06 3.38 TDNc 67.55 68.16 68.99 MEd 2.44 2.46 2.49 Note: There is no significant difference between means within each column at the P< 0.05 level. aData are means of 13 observations per treatment; T1 = treatment with 2.50% CS, T2 = treatment with 11.50% CS, and T3 = treatment with 3.13% CS added of 1.77% PL. bNFC according to Hall (2000). cEstimated in the feed composition according to the Valdares Filho et al. (2012) and the NRC (2001). dME, estimated metabolizable energy, in Mcal kg−1 of DM, according to the NRC (1996). Table 2. Mean chemical composition of ingredients used in the experimental diets as percentage dry matter (DM) of crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), nonfiber carbohydrates (NFCs), neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom-NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADFom-ADF), lignin (LIG), and mineral matter (MM). % Dry matter Ingredients DM (%) CP EE NFCa aNDFom-NDF ADFom-ADF LIG MM Sugarcane 30.27 2.82 2.93 29.06 62.43 39.56 6.85 2.76 Cracked corn 87.02 8.73 4.46 71.46 14.42 5.32 2.75 0.93 Citrus pulp 87.94 5.87 3.5 64.78 21.38 16.75 7.52 4.47 Cottonseed 91 19.67 20.83 1.36 54.65 45.44 17.03 3.49 Cottonseed meal 87.24 46.08 1.94 0.12 45.66 28.32 9.91 6.2 Protected lipid 95.47 — 85.21 — — — — 14.79 Urea 99.51 287.84 — — — — — — Note: Mean chemical composition of ingredients for treatments. aNFC according to Sniffen et al. (1992). 584 Can. J. Anim. Sci. Vol. 96, 2016 Published by NRC Research Press C an . J . A ni m . S ci . D ow nl oa de d fr om w w w .n rc re se ar ch pr es s. co m b y U N E SP U N IV E R SI D A D E E ST A D U A L P A U L IS T A J U L IO M E SQ U IT A F IL H O o n 05 /0 7/ 19 Fo r pe rs on al u se o nl y. diets containing higher levels of calcium salts of fatty acid (CSFA; 5% of diet or up to 21% CS), did not observe differences when compared with the diet without the additional lipid source [control diet (CD)]. The level of EE used in this experiment had no effect on the perfor- mance of steers in the feedlot period. Other authors, e.g., Silva et al. (2007), did not observe any differences between diets when they studied weight gain in Nellore cattle fed 4% CSFA or no lipid source. The authors stated that the use of CSFA as an option to increase energy den- sity of the diet for confined cattle should be better ana- lyzed due to the high cost of the product. Pesce (2008), Table 4. Mean, standard error (SE), and probability (P value) for dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein intake (CPI), and neutral detergent fiber intake (aNDFom-NDFI) for the different treatments.a Treatment Item T1 T2 T3 Mean SE P value DMI (kg d−1) 11.51 11.44 11.72 11.55 0.25 0.72 CPI (kg d−1) 1.24 1.21 1.26 1.24 0.02 0.48 aNDFom-NDF (kg d−1) 5.10 5.32 5.19 5.20 0.11 0.46 Note: There is no significant difference between means within each column at the P< 0.05 level. aData are means of 13 observations per treatment; T1 = treatment with 2.50% CS, T2 = treatment with 11.50% CS, and T3 = treatment with 3.13% CS added of 1.77% PL. Table 5. Mean, standard error (SE), and probability (P value) for the variables initial and final mean live weights (ILW and FLW) and mean daily weight gain (DWG) of the different treatments.a Treatment Item T1 T2 T3 Mean SE P value ILW (kg) 486.0 498.62 497.54 494.05 10.05 0.62 FLW (kg) 564.12 581.81 585.12 577.01 11.34 0.38 DWG (kg d−1) 1.24 1.32 1.39 1.32 0.07 0.31 Note: There is no significant difference between means within each column at the P< 0.05 level. aData are means of 13 observations per treatment; T1 = treatment with 2.50% CS, T2 = treatment with 11.50% CS, and T3 = treatment with 3.13% CS added of 1.77% PL. Table 6. Mean, standard error (SE), and probability (P value) for the variables hot carcass weight (HCW), hot carcass dressing (HCD), ribeye area (RA), fat thickness (FT), and pH 24 h after slaughter of the different treatments.a Treatment Characteristics T1 T2 T3 Mean SE P value HCW (kg) 287.58 298.25 294.51 293.45 7.12 0.57 HCD (%) 50.03 50.42 49.37 49.94 0.41 0.20 RA (cm2) 86.31 80.52 81.94 82.95 4.34 0.61 FT (mm) 2.41 2.98 2.41 2.61 0.37 0.47 pH 24 h 5.66 5.54 5.57 5.59 0.06 0.34 Note: There is no significant difference between means within each column at the P< 0.05 level. aData are means of 13 observations per treatment; T1 = treatment with 2.50% CS, T2 = treatment with 11.50% CS, and T3 = treatment with 3.13% CS added of 1.77% PL. Lima et al. 585 Published by NRC Research Press C an . J . A ni m . S ci . D ow nl oa de d fr om w w w .n rc re se ar ch pr es s. co m b y U N E SP U N IV E R SI D A D E E ST A D U A L P A U L IS T A J U L IO M E SQ U IT A F IL H O o n 05 /0 7/ 19 Fo r pe rs on al u se o nl y. however, observed greater DWG in Nellore steers that received 10% CS in DM of the diet compared with those fed without the fat source (CD). Andrade (2010), who tested the inclusion of PL in the diets of young Angus × Nellore feedlot bulls, did not observe differences between the diets when HCD was determined. According to Silva et al. (2002), Nellore cattle, mainly intact males, have always been considered as showing carcasses of inferior quality due to the deficient fat cover. With the absence of fat during cooling of the carcass, the outside of the muscles can become dark (negatively affecting the visual aspect), and a cell shortening may occur, affecting the commercial value. Carcass yield is important to complement the evaluation of animal per- formance. The most important objective in attempts to change carcass composition is greater concentration of muscle, adequate fat levels, and minimum levels of bones (Luchiari Filho 2000). In Brazil, HCD and FLW are of great economic importance for the meat industry. However, RA features may be used together with HCD and FLW to determine the price paid to the farmer, because they show a positive correlation with the yield in cuts of greater value (Gomide et al. 2006). Similar to the findings of the present study, Aferri et al. (2005) evaluated RA and did not observe differences between diets containing CSFA or CS as the lipid source. In their study, these authors observed RAs of 71.5 and 66.9 cm2, respectively. These authors used young cas- trated animals, which may have contributed to the lower RA compared with the present study. RA is one impor- tant carcass characteristic, because it is related to muscle mass and is used as an indicator of the yield of cuts of high commercial value, presenting a positive correlation with the edible portion of the carcass (Luchiari Filho 2000). In the present study, RA results when PL was added to the diet (Table 6) were close to those reported by Andrade (2010), 85.87 cm2 when this same fat source was used. Similarly, in the present study, no differences were observed between the diets with and without PL. Mean FT in the present study (Table 6) was a little lower than the minimum required by the meat industry (3 mm) (Mezzomo et al. 2015). When animals do not reach this minimum thickness, the meat industry may devalue the carcass and pay less money to the farmer, a fact that was observed in this study. However, T2 treat- ment showed the greatest FT value, equal to 2.98. As in the present study, Aferri et al. (2005) did not observe differences in FT when the sources of lipids (CS or PL) included in the diet were considered. Similarly, in a study of the effect of PL in the diet of young Angus × Nellore animals, Andrade (2010) did not observe differences for this variable in diets with or without sources of lipids. Final pH values were not different among treatments (Table 6). The average value was 5.59, without differences between treatments. Final pH values were in the normal range (5.4–5.8) for beef cattle (Mach et al. 2008). After the animal was slaughtered, blood circulation ceases and anaerobic biochemical reactions start, which produce lactic acid, responsible for the fall of pH. This acidifica- tion process is dependent on the amount of glycogen available in the muscle, depends on the diet that the ani- mal received, and the stress level of the animal before slaughter (Soria and Corva 2004). T1 treatment showed a pH of 5.66 and was the highest value found, though without any apparent explication. Several stress factors have been reported as responsible for glycogen depletion: duration of transport and handling from farm to slaughterhouse, temperament, buffering capacity of muscle, climatic factors, live weight, gender, and others (Immonen and Puolanne 2000; Gardner and Thompson 2003; Bee et al. 2006; King et al. 2006). According to Mach et al. (2008), only meat with a pH above 6.0 shows a quality problem, is undesirable for human consump- tion, and leads to dark, firm, and dry carcasses. In Brazil, meat plants export only meat with pH values lower than 5.8, determined directly on the longissimus thoracis muscle 24 h after slaughter (Fernandes et al. 2008). Aferri et al. (2005), who studied the use of addi- tional fat in the diets of confined crossbred beef steers, found similar mean pH value of 5.56 after 24 h. The final pH values suggest that there was no increased stress before slaughter, because acidification of the muscle occurred as expected, and that the addition of fat sourc- es in diet evaluated did not affect the final pH. Oliveira et al. (2011), working in Brazil with Nellore feedlot cattle, also did not observe differences in pH values among treatments in evaluation of diets without or with addi- tional lipids. The absence of differences (P > 0.05) in the variables HCW and HCD among the treatments of the present study was also found by Aferri et al. (2005), who fed cat- tle diets containing CS, CSFA, or no source of fat. The results of the present study, as well as those of other authors, indicate that fat sources tested do not nega- tively affect HCW and HCD. Conclusion In the present study, the inclusion of PL in the diet did not interfere with weight gain and the characteristics of the carcass in finishing cattle, and the same finding was observed in the animals that were fed only CS as their lipid source. Acknowledgements We thank the UNESP-Botucatu and IF Goiano for financial support. References Aferri, G., Leme, P.R., Silva, S.L., Putrino, S.M., and Pereira, A.S.C. 2005. Performance and carcass characteristics of steers fed with diets containing different sources of lipids. Braz. J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 34: 1651–1658 [in English]. Agastin, A., Naves, M., Farant, A., Godard, X., Bocage, B., Alexandre, G., and Boval, M. 2013. Effects of feeding system 586 Can. J. Anim. Sci. Vol. 96, 2016 Published by NRC Research Press C an . J . A ni m . S ci . 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D ow nl oa de d fr om w w w .n rc re se ar ch pr es s. co m b y U N E SP U N IV E R SI D A D E E ST A D U A L P A U L IS T A J U L IO M E SQ U IT A F IL H O o n 05 /0 7/ 19 Fo r pe rs on al u se o nl y. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1459919 http://www.ufv.br/cqbal http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/CJAS-2015-100 http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(91)78551-2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1660498 Performance and carcass characteristics of cattle fed lipid sources in the diet Introduction Materials and Methods Experimental site Animal management, feeding, and treatment Chemical analysis of the meat Hot carcass dressing Statistical procedures and model evaluation Results Discussion Conclusion Acknowledgements References << /ASCII85EncodePages false /AllowTransparency false /AutoPositionEPSFiles true /AutoRotatePages /PageByPage /Binding /Left /CalGrayProfile (Gray Gamma 2.2) /CalRGBProfile (sRGB IEC61966-2.1) /CalCMYKProfile (U.S. Sheetfed Coated v2) /sRGBProfile (sRGB IEC61966-2.1) /CannotEmbedFontPolicy /Warning /CompatibilityLevel 1.3 /CompressObjects /Off /CompressPages true /ConvertImagesToIndexed true /PassThroughJPEGImages true /CreateJDFFile false /CreateJobTicket false /DefaultRenderingIntent /RelativeColorimetric /DetectBlends true /DetectCurves 0.1000 /ColorConversionStrategy /sRGB /DoThumbnails false /EmbedAllFonts true /EmbedOpenType false /ParseICCProfilesInComments true /EmbedJobOptions true /DSCReportingLevel 0 /EmitDSCWarnings false /EndPage -1 /ImageMemory 524288 /LockDistillerParams true /MaxSubsetPct 99 /Optimize true /OPM 1 /ParseDSCComments true /ParseDSCCommentsForDocInfo true /PreserveCopyPage true /PreserveDICMYKValues true /PreserveEPSInfo false /PreserveFlatness true /PreserveHalftoneInfo false /PreserveOPIComments false /PreserveOverprintSettings false /StartPage 1 /SubsetFonts true /TransferFunctionInfo /Preserve /UCRandBGInfo /Remove /UsePrologue false /ColorSettingsFile () /AlwaysEmbed [ true ] /NeverEmbed [ true ] /AntiAliasColorImages false /CropColorImages true /ColorImageMinResolution 150 /ColorImageMinResolutionPolicy /OK /DownsampleColorImages true /ColorImageDownsampleType /Average /ColorImageResolution 225 /ColorImageDepth -1 /ColorImageMinDownsampleDepth 1 /ColorImageDownsampleThreshold 1.00000 /EncodeColorImages true /ColorImageFilter /DCTEncode /AutoFilterColorImages true /ColorImageAutoFilterStrategy /JPEG /ColorACSImageDict << /QFactor 0.15 /HSamples [1 1 1 1] /VSamples [1 1 1 1] >> /ColorImageDict << /QFactor 0.76 /HSamples [2 1 1 2] /VSamples [2 1 1 2] >> /JPEG2000ColorACSImageDict << /TileWidth 256 /TileHeight 256 /Quality 15 >> /JPEG2000ColorImageDict << /TileWidth 256 /TileHeight 256 /Quality 15 >> /AntiAliasGrayImages false /CropGrayImages true /GrayImageMinResolution 150 /GrayImageMinResolutionPolicy /OK /DownsampleGrayImages true /GrayImageDownsampleType /Average /GrayImageResolution 225 /GrayImageDepth -1 /GrayImageMinDownsampleDepth 2 /GrayImageDownsampleThreshold 1.00000 /EncodeGrayImages true /GrayImageFilter /DCTEncode /AutoFilterGrayImages true /GrayImageAutoFilterStrategy /JPEG /GrayACSImageDict << /QFactor 0.15 /HSamples [1 1 1 1] /VSamples [1 1 1 1] >> /GrayImageDict << /QFactor 0.76 /HSamples [2 1 1 2] /VSamples [2 1 1 2] >> /JPEG2000GrayACSImageDict << /TileWidth 256 /TileHeight 256 /Quality 15 >> /JPEG2000GrayImageDict << /TileWidth 256 /TileHeight 256 /Quality 15 >> /AntiAliasMonoImages false /CropMonoImages true /MonoImageMinResolution 1200 /MonoImageMinResolutionPolicy /OK /DownsampleMonoImages true /MonoImageDownsampleType /Average /MonoImageResolution 600 /MonoImageDepth -1 /MonoImageDownsampleThreshold 1.00000 /EncodeMonoImages true /MonoImageFilter /CCITTFaxEncode /MonoImageDict << /K -1 >> /AllowPSXObjects true /CheckCompliance [ /None ] /PDFX1aCheck false /PDFX3Check false /PDFXCompliantPDFOnly false /PDFXNoTrimBoxError true /PDFXTrimBoxToMediaBoxOffset [ 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 ] /PDFXSetBleedBoxToMediaBox true /PDFXBleedBoxToTrimBoxOffset [ 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 ] /PDFXOutputIntentProfile (None) /PDFXOutputConditionIdentifier () /PDFXOutputCondition () /PDFXRegistryName (http://www.color.org) /PDFXTrapped /False /SyntheticBoldness 1.000000 /Description << /ENU () >> >> setdistillerparams << /HWResolution [600 600] /PageSize [612.000 792.000] >> setpagedevice