Abstract
Abstract. Wet brewers grain (WBG) is successfully used in animal nutrition, and due to its high fiber content, especially in ruminants. The low cost of this fodder also has an impact on the economic of production. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of adding WBG to lamb fodder on the body weight gain, slaughter value and meat quality. The experiment was conducted on 40 male lambs of Polish Lowland sheep. The lambs were divided into two feeding groups, the control and the experimental (20 heads in each group), and fattened to their slaughter weight of 40 kg (± 2.5 kg). In the experimental group 35 % WBG was added to the feed. Lambs fed with WBG were characterized by higher daily weight gains (P≤0.01) and reached their slaughter body weight significantly faster (P≤0.01). Furthermore, the carcasses of the WBG group showed better hind leg conformation (P≤0.01) and a higher content of prime cuts (P≤0.05). The meat of lambs fed on WBG also had a lighter color and a lower intramuscular fat content. Additionally, the meat of this group was also characterized by higher PUFA (P≤0.01) and C18 : 2 cis9, trans11 fatty acid (P≤0.01) contents. The results obtained indicate that WBS could be successfully used in slaughter lamb production as a source of readily available, cheap fodder, especially when fattening takes place a short distance from a brewery.
Highlights
Brewers grain, a by-product of brewing industry, has the potential to be used as source of nutrition for farm animals, in both its wet and dry forms
The high fiber concentration stems from the fact that during the malting process the starches and sugars are removed from the barley grain leaving the structural carbohydrates, like cellulose and hemicellulose (Westendorf and Wohlt, 2002)
An analysis of body weight growth showed that lambs fed wet brewers grain (WBG) at the beginning of fattening, after the adaptation period, were characterized by a body weight which was approximately 0.45 kg higher than the control lambs, the difference between groups was not statistically significant (Table 2)
Summary
A by-product of brewing industry, has the potential to be used as source of nutrition for farm animals, in both its wet and dry forms. It is a good source of high quality protein and its energy and fiber contents range from 21 to 33 %, on a dry matter basis (Mussatto et al, 2006). Because WBG contains a relatively high water concentration (74 % on average) some consideration is required prior to its utilization as a feed source for ruminants, and the comparison of WBG to other fodder must be made on dry matter basis (Westendorf and Wohlt, 2002)
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