Twenty heifers aged 24 months from the Nellore breed were finished on pasture and supplemented during 120 days at 0.8% bodyweight with sunflower cake, which replaced bran soybeans, at proportions of 0%, 20%, 40% and 60%. Concentrated diets for supplementation were isoproteic (28% crude protein), with ether extract levels of 3.68%, 5.65%, 8.82% and 11.00%, respectively. Longissimus muscle, between the 12th and 13th rib, from the left half carcass were removed and used for the analysis of meat quality. The pH, water-holding capacity, cooking loss, shear force, meat colour, chemical composition, sensory characteristics and fatty acids profile were assessed. There were no significant differences in the studied attributes by the replacement of soybean meal by sunflower cake. Only the fatty acid profile presented slight differences between diets (P ≤ 0.05) containing C15:0, C20:0 and C20:3n-6 fatty acids. In conclusion, the replacement of soybean meal by sunflower cake does not alter the qualitative and sensory characteristics of meat from Nellore heifers finished on pasture.

SUMMARY This study analyzed the effect of including copaiba oil as an additive for cattle supplemented on pasture, during the dry season. Four crossbred steers, castrated, with 245 ± 25 kg, aged about 18 months, fitted with permanent rumen cannula; were randomly assigned to a 4×4 Latin square. All animals were housed in individual paddocks (0.3 ha), uniformly covered with Brachiaria brizantha cv Marandu, with through and drinking fountain; and were given a concentrate at 500g/100 kg BW containing 380 g/kg crude protein (%DM). The copaiba oil was added to the supplement as a spray, in the proportions of 0, 0.5; 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg DM intake. Spraying supplementation was performed daily at the time of supply of the supplement. Data of intake and digestibility of nutrients, ruminal pH; ruminal ammonia nitrogen, and microbial protein synthesis were tested by analysis of variance and polynomial regression, adopting a significance level of 5%. The inclusion of copaiba oil quadratically affected total dry matter intake (P=0.030) and CP digestibility (P=0.043), without altering ruminal metabolism (P>0.05) and microbial protein synthesis (P>0.05) of the animals kept on pasture.

The genusBryconcomprises fish species of significant socioeconomic and biological importance in Brazil. Despite that, the genetic knowledge about these species is scarce, especially regardingBrycon falcatus. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the transferability of heterologous microsatellite primers inB. falcatus for the first time. Heterologous primers obtained from B. opalinus, B. hilarii, B. insignis, B. orbignyanus, B. amazonicus, Prochilodus argenteus, Prochilodus lineatus, Piaractus mesopotamicus, and Colossoma macropomum were evaluated. The primers that showed the best amplification patterns were applied to a sample of 22 individuals and the genetic parameters were calculated. Nine primers displayed satisfactory cross-amplification withB. falcatus: BoM5 (Brycon opalinus); Bh8, Bh13 and Bh16 (B. hilarii); Borg59 (B. orbignyanus); Bag22 (B. amazonicus); Par12 and Par80 (P. argenteus), and Cm1A8 (C. macropomum). The genetic parameters (number of alleles, effective alleles, allele richness, and expected and observed heterozygosity) and the polymorphic information content (PIC) confirmed the viability of these primers for population genetics analyses. Our study demonstrates the potential of transferability of microsatellite markers from related species and even different genera to B. falcatus, providing usefull tools for future population genetic studies in this species.

It was proposed to verify the effect of the total substitution of soy by canola and crambe grains in the diet of crossbred lambs, in order to evaluate the chemical, instrumental and sensory characteristics of the meat of the animals fed under these grains. Twenty-three samples of the Longissimus lumborum muscle were used, from SRD lambs (mixed breed), non-castrated males, with an average age of 70 days, average initial body weight of 20.0 ± 4.0 kg. Of the 23 animals used, seven were destined for soybean diet, eight with canola grain and eight with crambe grain. The design was completely randomized with the factor evaluated as the total replacement (100%) of the ground soybeans considered control (GSO) by ground canola beans (GCA) and ground crambe beans (GCR). The sensory analysis data were submitted to Principal Component Analysis and the centesimal and instrumental analyzes were tested in orthogonal contrasts in relation to the different grains. The ration provided was in the form of a complete diet, with 75% concentrate and 25% roughage (Brachiaria brizantha cv Piatã hay). The results showed a higher moisture content in the meat of animals fed with canola, as well as in the instrumental characteristics (loss of cooking and intensity of red). For the other characteristics, there was no effect. The sensory analysis showed that the tasters preferred the meat of animals fed with soy and canola grains, pointing to the market potential. Canola and crambe grains can replace soy in the diet of lambs finished in feedlot, without affecting the centesimal, instrumental and mainly sensory characteristics of the meat, contributing as a new grain alternative in animal production.