<b>Quality of aged meat of young bulls fed crude glycerin associated with different roughage sources

Abstract

This trial aimed to evaluate the inclusion of 10% of crude glycerin associated with roughage sources on the quality of meat aged for 1, 7 or 14 days post mortem of Nellore young bulls. Thirty feedlot animals (n = 10) with initial body weight of 416.70 ± 24.74 kg and 18 months of age were assigned to three treatments: corn silage (CS), sugar cane (SC) and sugar cane bagasse (CB), using a completely randomized design. After 85 days of feeding, animals were slaughtered with 554.51 ± 38.51 kg. Samples of longissimus muscle were collected, after carcass chilling, and vacuum-packed. Diets influenced pH, meat color and subcutaneous fat (SF) (p > 0.05). Animals fed CS showed higher values of b* in SF (p 0.05). Aging times influenced pH and shear force of beef (p < 0.05). Beef aged for 14 days showed higher pH (5.90) and lower shear force (2.40 kgf). Diets containing 10% crude glycerin in the DM associated with CS, SC or CB had no effect on the fatty acid profile in beef. The aging process for 14 days reduces shear force, improving meat quality.

Keywords

• beef cattle
• sugar cane bagasse
• fatty acids
• glycerol
• tenderness