Carcass and meat quality of lambs fed with sunflower seed or oil

Marta Juliane Gasparini,Edson Luis Azambuja Ribeiro,Luiz Fernando Coelho Cunha Filho,Rafaela Machado Dos Santos,Fabíola Cristine De Almeida Rego,Marilice Zundt,José Victor Pronievicz Barreto,Caliê Castilho,Simone Fernanda Nedel Pertile

doi:10.33448/rsd-v9i9.7667

Marta Juliane Gasparini, Edson Luis Azambuja Ribeiro + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i9.7667

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare the use of sunflower seeds and oil as a fat source in the diets of finishing lambs. Twelve crossbred Santa Inês × Dorper lambs, with an average initial weight of 22.10 ± 3.82 kg were housed in individual pens and divided into two treatments: diets with sunflower seeds or oil. The total diet of both groups contained 33% roughage (tifton grass hay 85) and 67% concentrate. The proportion of sunflower oil and seeds in the total dry matter of the diets was 1.83% and 5.51%, respectively for the treatments oil and seed. The experimental period lasted for 75 days. The animals were slaughtered when they reached an average live weight of 35 kg. The carcass and meat variables were not different between the treatments studied. The presence of oil or sunflower seeds in the diets, both with a high level of concentrate (67%), did not influence the pH values of the meat, with average values of 5.8 and 5.6, respectively. The use of 5.5% sunflower seed, or 1.8% sunflower oil, as fat sources in diets of crossbred Santa Inês X Dorper lambs in finishing, were effective to obtain quality meat and carcasses.

Highlights

Lamb confinement is a nutritional tool to intensify production systems and obtain carcasses and meat with quality in a shorter time period, compared to pasture production
Studies with the use of co-products are relevant to livestock, seeking to reduce production costs, and to improve the quality of the final product that reaches the consumer
World production between grain, bran and oil of sunflower was approximately 45 million tons of grains, an increase of 11% compared to the previous harvest (CONAB, 2019)

Summary

Introduction

Lamb confinement is a nutritional tool to intensify production systems and obtain carcasses and meat with quality in a shorter time period, compared to pasture production. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a food that can be used in the formulation of animals’ diets, with interesting results, mainly due to its nutritional characteristics, being rich in protein and energy. Sunflower stands out for being among the foods with the highest levels of essential fatty acids, being an excellent option for formulating diets (Silva, 1990). In Brazil, the production of sunflower seeds started to increase in 1996 to produce oil (Freitas, Ferreira & Tsunechiro, 1998). World production between grain, bran and oil of sunflower was approximately 45 million tons of grains, an increase of 11% compared to the previous harvest (CONAB, 2019)

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