Abstract
The experiment was carried out at the Comigo Technology Center, in Rio Verde, State of Goias, Brazil, with the objective of evaluating the effects of supplementation with calcium butyrate, as a growth promoting agent for the duodenal mucosa and Bacillus subtilis as a probiotic performance enhancer in feedlot cattle. Calcium butyrate (5 and 10 g per animal per day) and Bacillus (10 g per animal per day) were added to a basal diet. There were used 85 Nelore bulls, with average weight of 315 ± 7 kg. The experiment lasted 118 days, including the adaptation period, until slaughter at 30 months of age. Diets were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments, where: T1 = control (basal diet); T2 = basal diet + 5 g calcium butyrate; T3 = basal diet + 10 g calcium butyrate and T4 = basal diet + 10 g calcium butyrate + 10 g probiotic with four replications and five to six animals per replication. It was used a forage: concentrate ratio of 30:70, the roughage used was the corn silage. Height and width measurements of intestinal villi were taken, and carcass and meat quality were evaluated. The supplementation of calcium butyrate and Bacillus subtilis positively influenced (p < 0.05) the carcass marbling level and calcium butyrate increased the villus height in the small intestine.
Highlights
Nutritional planning, using additives such as organic acids and probiotics, is an increasingly researched tool in production systems
Prebiotics are compounds that are not digested by enzymes, acids and salts produced by the gastrointestinal tract but are fermented by microbiota
In order to know the effect of prebiotics associated or not with probiotics in feedlot animals, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of calcium butyrate at different doses and associated with Bacillus subtilis on the development of duodenal mucosa, and its effects on carcass of Nellore finished in feedlot
Summary
Nutritional planning, using additives such as organic acids (prebiotics) and probiotics, is an increasingly researched tool in production systems. It is a strategy to improve feed conversion, weight gain or benefit health by preventing the incidence of metabolic diseases, contributing to better performance, in the finishing phase, Acta Scientiarum. Animal Sciences when feedlot animals are fed with concentrate diets. Some of these additives promote benefits that include reducing the incidence of acidosis and cocciodiosis (Oliveira, Zanine, & Santos, 2005). Prebiotics are compounds that are not digested by enzymes, acids and salts produced by the gastrointestinal tract but are fermented by microbiota. They stimulate the growth of desirable microorganisms and provide nutrients to these
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