Supplementation of guanidinoacetic acid and rumen-protected methionine increased growth performance and meat quality of Tan lambs

Abstract

Objective: Tan lambs (n = 36, 3 mo old, 19.1±0.53 kg) were used to assess effects of dietary guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) and rumen-protected methionine (RPM) on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and serum parameters.Methods: Lambs were randomly assigned to three treatment groups, with 6 pens per group and 2 lambs per pen. Dietary treatments were: basal diet alone (I); basal diet supplemented with 0.08% GAA+0.06% RPM (II); and basal diet supplemented with 0.08% GAA+0.08% RPM (III). Diets were provided three times a day for 90 d. Intake per pen was recorded daily and individual lamb body weight (BW) was measured monthly. Carcass traits were measured after slaughter and meat quality at the end of the experiment, blood samples were taken on a subgroup of lambs for analysis of indicators mostly related to protein metabolism.Results: Final BW and average daily gain for the first and second month, and for the entire experiment were greater in Treatment II compared to Treatment I (p<0.05), whereas feed to gain ratio was lower (p<0.05). Treatment II had the optimal dressing percentage and net meat weight proportion, as well as crude protein and intramuscular fat concentrations in muscles. Treatment II improved meat quality, as indicated by the greater water holding capacity, pH after 45 min and 48 h, and lower shear force and cooking loss. Dietary supplementation of GAA and RPM also increased the meat color a* and b* values at 24 h. Finally, Treatment II increased total protein, and serum concentrations of albumin and creatinine, but decreased serum urea nitrogen concentrations, indicating improved protein efficiency.Conclusion: In this study, 0.08% GAA+0.06% RPM supplementation improved growth performance and meat quality of Tan lambs.

Effect of guanidinoacetic acid on the growth performance, myofiber, and adenine nucleotide of meat-type rabbits

“…In lambs, GAA plus rumen-protected methionine improved water holding capacity, meat color a* and b* values; and decreased shear force and cooking loss [ 23 ]. However, inconsistency was reported in broilers where GAA did not affect L*, a*, b*, cooking loss, drip loss, shear force, and chemical composition in the breast muscle [ 20 , 22 , 24 ].…”

Effects of Guanidinoacetic Acid on Ruminal Fermentation and Greenhouse Gas Production Using Fresh Forage and Silage from Different Maize (Zea mays L.) Genotypes

“…In this sense, guanidinoacetic acid (GAA; also called glycinamide), a derivative of arginine and glycine, is a natural precursor of creatine biosynthesis [24]. In turn, creatine is part of the energy and protein metabolism of animals [25][26][27], which is why GAA has been used as an additive to improve the performance of animals, including ruminants [28][29][30]. In this regard, it has been reported that in beef cattle, the addition of 0.03 to 0.40% (on DM basis) GAA in the diet increases daily weight gain, dry matter digestibility, and in some cases, feed conversion efficiency, which was reflected by a higher yield and quality of the carcass [31][32][33][34], without negative effects on the serum content of arginine, folate, homocysteine, and methionine [34].…”

Whole-genome DNA methylation profiling reveals epigenetic signatures in developing muscle in Tan and Hu sheep and their offspring

“…In order to improve the productivity of Tan sheep meat, the Tan sheep Breeding Project Team introduced excellent Hu sheep for crossbreeding, in order to improve the production performance of Tan sheep without affecting the quality and flavor of Tan sheep. The Hu sheep is extensively reared for its high litter size (5,6), and its muscle growth rate is faster than that of Tan sheep (7)(8)(9). Their hybrid offspring also grew faster than Tan sheep (data not published).…”