Effect of energy density by dietary incorporation of fats on the performance of double-muscled bulls

Abstract

The effect of dietary energy concentration by the addition of 2.5 or 5% hydrolysed fat residue or 5% lard was studied in double-muscled bulls of the Belgian white-blue breed. Average daily gain was 1.31 kg and was not significantly affected by the addition of fat, while dressing percentage was significantly increased from 68.4 for the control group to 69.3 for fat-supplemented groups, without modification of the carcass composition. It was not clear if the positive effect on carcass quality was specific to the fat supplementation. The dietary incorporation of hydrolysed fat residue had no negative effects on animal performance in comparison with lard.