Carcass characteristics and meat quality of sheep fed alfalfa hay to replace Bermuda grass hay.
The objective of this study was to evaluate carcass characteristics, meat quality, and organ and viscera weight of forty male sheep, not castrated, initially weighed 26.5 ± 1.85 kg, and confined for 100 days (44 days for the adjustment period and 56 days of the experimental period). The treatments were four levels of replacement of Bermuda grass hay with alfalfa hay (0, 200, 400, and 600 g/kg, based on dry matter). The design was randomized blocks (one lighter group and other heavier group) with 10 animals in each treatment. There were no effects on weight gain or carcass parameters. However, an increase was observed on dry matter intake (g/day), crude protein intake (g/day), empty body weight (kg), and subcutaneous fat thickness (mm). There was also an increase in total organ weights in kg and g/kg. The tissue composition of the leg had a quadratic effect on the bone tissue weight (g) and linear effect on adipose tissue relative (g/kg) and muscle-fat relations. There was also a quadratic effect on bone tissues (g/kg) and muscle-bone relations. Likewise, there was a quadratic effect on the qualitative characteristics of meat (measure of luminosity), with the replacement of Bermuda grass hay with alfalfa hay in sheep feed. The replacement of Bermuda grass hay with alfalfa did not change carcass characteristics and meat quality.
['da Silva|José Ricardo Coelho|JRC|', 'de Carvalho|Francisco Fernando Ramos|FFR|', 'de Andrade Fereira|Marcelo|M|', 'de Souza|Evaristo Jorge Oliveira|EJO|', 'Maciel|Maria Inês Sucupira|MIS|', 'Barreto|Lígia Maria Gomes|LMG|', 'Lopes|Levi Auto|LA|', 'Cordeiro|Eduardo Henrique Araújo|EHA|', 'Véras|Antonia Sherlânea Chaves|ASC|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7673-0654']
D000273:Adipose Tissue D000821:Animal Feed D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena D000818:Animals D001823:Body Composition D031744:Cynodon D004032:Diet D008297:Male D008460:Meat D000455:Medicago sativa D012756:Sheep D015430:Weight Gain
Feedlot Fibre Legumes Small ruminants