Effects of the association between whole cottonseed and calcium salts of fatty acids on nutrient intake, feedlot performance, and carcass characteristics of Bos indicus animals offered a high-concentrate diet

Abstract

This experiment evaluated the effects of feeding whole cottonseed (WC) and/or calcium salts of fatty acids (CSFA) on dry matter intake (DMI), performance, and carcass characteristics of Bos indicus animals receiving a high-concentrate diet during the finishing phase. On day 0, 96 Nellore bulls were blocked according to initial shrunk body weight (BW; 302 ± 26.7 kg) into group pens (4 animals/pen) and, within blocks, pens were randomly assigned to receive: 1) 15% of WC and 2% of CSFA [dry matter (DM) basis] of palm, cottonseed, and soybean oil (15WC; n = 6), 2) 10% of WC and 3% of CSFA (DM basis) of palm, cottonseed, and soybean oil (10WC; n = 6), 3) 5% of WC and 4% of CSFA (DM basis) of palm, cottonseed, and soybean oil (5WC; n = 6), and 4) 0% of WC and 5% of CSFA (DM basis) of palm, cottonseed, and soybean oil (0WC; n = 6). Diets were formulated to be isocaloric, isonitrogenous, and isolipidic. Experimental period lasted 108 days, whereas dry matter intake (DMI) was evaluated daily and blood samples and carcass measurements were obtained on days 0, 55, and 108 of the study. Upon slaughter on day 109, steaks were collected for determination of the chemical and fatty acid (FA) profile of the meat. No treatment effects (P ≥ 0.35) were observed on DMI, performance, average daily gain (ADG), carcass ultrasound measurements, and chemical variables of the steak. Nonetheless, including WC into the diets increased C12:0, C16:0, C16:1 trans-9, C17:0, C18:0, C18:1 cis-9, C18:2 cis-9,cis-12, C18:3 cis-9,cis-12,cis-15, saturated, and unsaturated FA intake (P < 0.01). Moreover, adding WC increased DMI fluctuation and feed efficiency (P = 0.03), but decreased marbling (P ≤ 0.03). A treatment × day interaction was observed (P < 0.01) for serum leptin concentration, as 10WC animals had greater leptin concentration on d 103 vs. other treatments (P < 0.01). Regarding steak FA profile, WC addition into the diet increased C18:2 cis-7,trans-9 and C18:3 cis-9,cis-12,cis-15 (P < 0.001), whereas saturated FA was quadratically affected (P = 0.02) and unsaturated FA was reduced for 15WC (P < 0.04). In summary, increasing levels of CSFA into isolipidic finishing diets containing WC did not negatively impact feedlot performance, but reduced feed efficiency and increased marbling scores of Bos indicus bulls, demonstrating its feasibility as a technology to improve carcass traits of low-marbling animals.

Sensory characteristics and volatile compounds of beef in feedlots with cottonseed

“…In addition to these aspects, byproducts from cotton harvest have been used to feed cattle in feedlots in Brazil and worldwide in different ways, such as whole cottonseed, hulls, gin trash, and meal (Rogers et al, 2002). Whole cottonseed is useful as an energy source in the diet and is used for the feed of cattle and cows (Lobato et al, 2014;Müller et al, 2021).…”

“…The effects of modifying the fatty acid composition on the lipid profile and the total fat content in beef were the main results reported for feeding cattle with cottonseed. This occurs because this byproduct is rich in lipids and is a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (Huerta-Leidenz et al, 1991;Müller et al, 2021;Salami et al, 2019). Thus, this ingredient can be easily oxidized (Zia et al, 2022), and when exposed to environmental conditions, it can produce substances such as iron.…”