Abstract
Tenderness, juiciness, and flavor play important roles in a satisfactory beef eating experience. All three factors can be affected by management decisions made by producers during the production of beef. Beef producers currently use a multitude of production programs that utilize feed additives such as Rumensin or Tylan (Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN), and growth promotants such as implants and Optaflexx (Elanco Animal Health). Rumensin and Tylan are fed in combination to improve feedlot performance, whereas growth promotants improve feed efficiency, average daily gain, hot carcass weight, and yield grades of carcasses. Although the use of feed additives and growth promotants improves production efficiency, they can affect meat characteristics such as tenderness and water-holding capacity. The Alltech PN Beef Program (Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY) consists of two products that are designed to replace components of the conventional feedlot diet. The PN Beef Receiver is intended to be fed during the step-up period of feeding, whereas PN Beef Finisher is intended to be fed during the remainder of finishing period. Because both products are new feed alternatives, the objective of this study was to compare the fresh cooked meat quality of the Alltech PN Beef Program to a conventional feedlot diet when both diets are combined with or without growth promotants.
Highlights
Since Zilmax was first launched in the U.S in 2007, there have been anecdotal reports of reduction in dry matter intake (DMI) in feedlot cattle after initiation of feeding ZIL
Some studies have reported no effect of zilpaterol on Dry matter intake (DMI), whereas others have reported a decrease in DMI for cattle fed zilpaterol compared with control cattle; on average, published studies report a 0.3-lb reduction in DMI compared with control cattle fed diets without zilpaterol
Of the 1,515 pens of cattle represented in the database, 75% had a numerical decrease in DMI post-ZIL, and 25% had a numerical increase (Figure 1)
Summary
Recommended Citation Reinhardt, Christopher D.; Vahl, Christopher I.; and Depenbusch, Brandon E. (2014) "Dry matter intake decreases shortly after initiation of feeding Zilmax during the summer," Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol 0: Iss. 1.
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