Agriculture (Sep 2021)

Productive Performance, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality in Finishing Lambs Supplemented with a Polyherbal Mixture

  • José Felipe Orzuna-Orzuna,
  • Griselda Dorantes-Iturbide,
  • Alejandro Lara-Bueno,
  • Germán David Mendoza-Martínez,
  • Luis Alberto Miranda-Romero,
  • Rufino López-Ordaz,
  • Pedro Abel Hernández-García

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11100942
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 10
p. 942

Abstract

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of a polyherbal mixture (HM) containing saponins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides on productive performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of lambs during the final fattening period. Thirty-six Dorper × Katahdin lambs (23.27 ± 1.23 kg body weight (BW)) were housed in individual pens and were assigned to four treatments (n = 9) with different doses of HM: 0 (CON), 1 (HM1), 2 (HM2) and 3 (HM3) g of HM kg−1 of DM for 56 days. Data were analysed as a completely randomized design using the MIXED and GLM procedures of statistical analysis system (SAS), and linear and quadratic effects were tested to evaluate the effects of the HM level. DM digestibility decreased in lambs fed HM3 (p p p 1 of DM improves meat tenderness. However, high doses of HM in the diet may decrease the digestibility of DM and increase the cooking loss and drip loss of lamb meat during the final fattening period.

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