2. Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU

This study assessed carcass characteristics and meat quality of bulls finished in individual pens and fed with different diets. A completely randomized design determined how to feed 24 crossbred bulls (European × Nellore) with four diets over 84 days: CONT) without additives; MONE) inclusion of 30 mg of monensin/kg DM; MO + VI) inclusion of 30 mg of monensin + 30 mg of virginiamycin/kg DM; and MO+AD) inclusion of 30 mg of monensin/kg DM + 1.57 g of a blend of organic trace minerals, live yeast, beta-glucan, and mannans per kg DM (Advantage-Confinamento). MO+VI resulted in lower pH (P < 0.05) and lighter meat (P < 0.05) compared with other treatments. Cooking loss was less (P < 0.05) with MO+AD at 14 days of aging time. At 14 days, Warner-Bratzler shear force was higher for meat from bulls fed with CONT and MONE diets and slower (P < 0.05) for meat from bulls fed with MO+VI and MO+AD diets. In conclusion, including monensin combined with virginiamycin and monensin combined with a blend of organic trace minerals and yeast in the diets of bulls finished in individual pens can improve the color, Warner-Bratzler shear force of meat, and lower cooking losses.

Background: Forty crossbred steers were supplemented with different doses (from 0 control to 6000 mg/animal/day) of natural additive blend containing clove essential oil, cashew oil, castor oil, and a microencapsulated blend of eugenol, thymol, and vanillin for 80 days. Carcass characteristics, drip loss, and antioxidant activity were evaluated 24 h post mortem on longissimus thoracis, and the effects of aging (until 14 days) were evaluated for water losses (thawing/aging and cooking), texture, color, and lipid oxidation. Results: The use of the natural additive blend did not modify (P > 0.05) carcass characteristics but did, however, modify body composition (P < 0.05). Drip losses were unaffected by the treatments tested (P > 0.05). There was an observed quadratic effect (P < 0.05) on losses from thawing/aging on the first day of storage. Regarding the effects of natural additives on cooking losses, there was a quadratic effect (P < 0.05) among the treatments on day 7 of aging. Differences between days of aging were only observed with control treatment. Shear force was similar among treatments on days 1 and 7 of aging. On day 14 a linear effect (P < 0.05) was observed. Also, a linear effect (P < 0.05) appeared on meat lightness, meat from the control group being clearer on day 1. No changes were observed in redness among treatments or days of storage (P > 0.05). Yellowness was not modified by the treatments (P > 0.05)but only by the days of storage in control and the lowest dosage used. Conclusion: The blend of natural additives has potential use in pasture feeding and could improve meat quality. However, doses should be adjusted.