Effect of seriphium plumosum meal inclusion in a diet on carcass characteristics and meat quality of nguni steers

Title : Effect of seriphium plumosum meal inclusion in a diet on carcass characteristics and meat quality of nguni steers

Abstract:

The use of encroaching woody plants such as Seriphium plumosum for livestock feeding is gaining importance. The study aimed at evaluating effects of S. plumosum meal inclusion level in a diet on meat characteristics and quality of Nguni steers fed a diet based on lucerne hay and maize meal. Twenty-eight Nguni steers aged 22 months with an initial mean body weight of 300 ± 10 kg were randomly assigned to isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets containing 0, 10, 20 or 30 % of S. plumosum meal in a complete randomized design, each treatment having seven replications and one steer per replicate. The experiment lasted for 111 days (21 days for adaptation and 90 days for the actual feeding trial). The steers were slaughtered at 25 months of age and carcasses were evaluated for carcass traits, meat quality traits. Seriphium plumosum meal inclusion levels in the diets did not affect (P>0.05) carcass weight, eye muscle area and back fat thickness. However, S. plumosum meal inclusion levels in the diets affected (P0.05) sarcomere length (SL), collagen solubility (CS). A 16.11% S. plumusom meal inclusion level in the diet was calculated, with the use of quadratic equations, to result in optimal Nguni steer meat myofibril lengths (r2 = 0.866). It was concluded that S. plumosum meal inclusion levels at 10, 20 or 30 % in the diets did not adversely affect Nguni steer carcass traits, meat tenderness traits, meat colour, water-holding capacity , and lipid and protein oxidation properties. This is an indication that S. plumosum meal can be included in Nguni cattle diets without causing any adverse effects on meat characteristics and quality parameters. However, long-term studies are recommended to ascertain the present findings.

Biography:

Dr Motswapo Phoko is a researcher at the Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production Institute in South Africa. Dr Phoko obtained her PhD and MSc in Animal Science at the University of Limpopo, South Africa and University of New England, Australia respectively. Dr Phoko’s research focuses on plant- animal interaction. Her research sought to evaluate the effect of woody and forage plant species and their interaction with ruminant digestion and feed fermentation to curb livestock contribution to greenhouse gases. Dr Phoko has authored three peer reviewed papers submitted for publication with three international publishers. She is a member of South African Society of Animal Science, and Grassland Society of Southern Africa respectively.