Effect of finishing diet with excluded silage on amino-acid, fatty-acid, and mineral composition of meat (m. longisimus dorsi) in calves

R. Kalev, P. Penchev, K. Dimov

Abstract: To study the composition of amino acids, fatty acids, and minerals in beef as affected by silage in the diet, ten male calves were allotted by the analog method into two groups for a period of four months. During the first subperiod (2 mo) the two groups were subjected to one and the same diet, while during the second silage was excluded from the diet fed to the experimental group. At the end of the period, three animals of each group were slaughtered and meat test samples from the ribeye area within ribs 11 and 12 of m. longisimus dorsi taken from each carcass. Higher composition of essential amino acids was established in the meat of the calves fed silage-free, the relative difference in methionine and lysine being respectively 27.8 and 11.1 per cent. Compared to the control group, the meat from the calves fed diet with excluded silage is characterized with more favorable composition of the main omega-3 acid, C18:3, the UFA C18:1, as well as the SFA’s palmitic and stearic acid. With regard to mineral composition, the meat produced by the calves from the experimental group has shown to have lower levels of K and higher of Mg, Fe, and Cu than the control group.

Keywords: amino acids; beef; fatty acids; minerals; silage

Date published: 2019-06-14