Fetal Programming and Its Effects on Meat Quality of Nellore Bulls.

This work aimed to evaluate the effects of prenatal nutritional stimulation at different pregnancy stages on carcass traits and meat quality in bovine progeny. For this purpose, 63 Nellore bulls, born from cows submitted to three nutritional plans, were used: not programmed (NP), which did not receive protein supplementation; partially programmed (PP), which had protein-energy supplementation (0.3% of mean body weight of each batch) only in the final third of pregnancy; and full programming (FP), which received supplementation (0.

Genetic parameters associated with meat quality of Nellore cattle at different anatomical points of longissimus: Brazilian standards.

The present study estimated genetic parameters and evaluated the genetic and phenotypic correlations between meat quality characteristics of Nellore cattle evaluated at different anatomical points of the longissimus. Data from 1329 Nellore young bulls were used to evaluate, in the 5th and 12th ribs, marbling score (MAR), shear force (SF), cooking weight losses (CWL) and intramuscular fat (IMF). In addition, the subcutaneous fat thickness was measured at the 12th rib (SFT) and between the last lumbar and the first sacral vertebrae (SFT), in the separation of loin and round.

Predicting the shear value and intramuscular fat in meat from Nellore cattle using Vis-NIR spectroscopy.

Visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS) was tested for its effectiveness in predicting intramuscular fat (IMF) and WBSF in Nellore steers. Beef samples from longissimus thoracis, aged for either 2 or 7 days, had their spectra collected for wavelengths ranging from 400 to 1395 nm. Partial least squares regression models were developed for each trait.

Effect of Macleaya cordata and Magnolia officinalis plant extracts on oxidative stress control in lambs fed a high-concentrate diet.

Objective: The objective of this experiment was to compare conventional antioxidants and plant extracts for oxidative stress control in lambs fed a high-concentrate diet.

Methods: Forty-eight male Dorper×Santa Ines lambs with an initial weight of 20±1.49 kg and 60 days of age, were used to evaluate the effects of feeding a combination of Macleaya cordata and Magnolia officinalis plant extracts (0 vs 320 mg/kg dry matter [DM]) in combination with selenium+vitamin E (0 vs 100 IU/kg DM of vitamin E and 0.

Shear force analysis by core location in Longissimus steaks from Nellore cattle using hyperspectral images - A feasibility study.

Industry requires non-destructive real-time methods for quality control of meat in order to improve production efficiency and meet consumer expectations. Near Infrared Hyperspectral Images were used for tenderness evaluation of Nellore beef and the construction of tenderness distribution maps. To investigate whether the selection of the region of interest (ROI) in the image at the exact location where the shear force core was collected improves tenderness prediction and classification models, 50 samples from Longissimus muscle were imaged (1000-2500 nm) and shear force were measured (Warner-Bratzler).

Phosphofructokinase and mitochondria partially explain the high ultimate pH of broiler pectoralis major muscle.

During postmortem metabolism, muscle pH gradually declines to reach an ultimate pH near 5.6 across most meat species. Yet, broiler pectoralis major (P.

Roughage levels impact on performance and carcass traits of finishing Nellore cattle fed whole corn grain diets.

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of chopped hay levels in high-concentrate diets with whole corn grain (WCG) on performance and carcass traits of finishing Nellore cattle. One hundred and eight 24-month-old Nellore intact males (453 ± 75 kg) were fed one of three WCG-based diets that differed in roughage level: without roughage (WCG), with 5% chopped hay included (WCG5), or with 12% chopped hay included (WCG12) in a block design (based on initial body weight) for 86 days. Animals fed WCG5 or WCG12 had significantly improved on final body weight, dry matter intake, average daily gain, feed efficiency, hot carcass weight, and dressing percentage when compared to those fed WCG.

Divergent temperaments are associated with beef tenderness and the inhibitory activity of calpastatin.

Ninety-six feedlot-finished Nellore steers were used to verify the relationship between temperament indicators and meat tenderization. Temperament index (TI), chute score (CS), and average of exit velocity (EV) with CS (AT) presented low positive correlations (P≤0.05) with shear force, either at 2 or 16days postmortem (WBSF-16).

Copy number variations and genome-wide associations reveal putative genes and metabolic pathways involved with the feed conversion ratio in beef cattle.

The use of genome-wide association results combined with other genomic approaches may uncover genes and metabolic pathways related to complex traits. In this study, the phenotypic and genotypic data of 1475 Nellore (Bos indicus) cattle and 941,033 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used for genome-wide association study (GWAS) and copy number variations (CNVs) analysis in order to identify candidate genes and putative pathways involved with the feed conversion ratio (FCR). The GWAS was based on the Bayes B approach analyzing genomic windows with multiple regression models to estimate the proportion of genetic variance explained by each window.

Infrared thermography as a tool to evaluate body surface temperature and its relationship with feed efficiency in Bos indicus cattle in tropical conditions.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the use of infrared thermography (IRT) images as a tool for monitoring body surface temperature and to study its relationship with residual feed intake (RFI) in Nellore cattle. We also evaluated IRT as an indicator of feed efficiency in Bos indicus cattle. In this study, 144 Nellore steers were fed high-concentrate diets for 70 days to evaluate feedlot performance.

Predicting pork quality using Vis/NIR spectroscopy.

Visible and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (Vis/NIRS) was used to predict the ultimate pH (pHu), color, intramuscular fat (IMF) and shear force (WBSF) of pork samples and to build classifiers capable of categorizing the samples by tenderness (tender or tough) and juiciness (juicy and dry). Spectra were collected from 400 to 1495nm, and 200 data points were generated for every sample (n=134). Sixty-seven percent of the sample set was used for calibration, and 33% was used for validation.

Effects of processing corn on the carcass traits and meat quality of feedlot lambs.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate and compare the effect of the corn grain processing (whole grain, dry beans ground, and wet grain) on carcass characteristics and meat quality in lambs. Twenty-two Dorper vs. Santa Inês uncastrated lambs (27 ± 4 kg BW; ±3 months old) were distributed in a randomized complete block (initial BW).

Effects of supplementation with two sources and two levels of copper on meat lipid oxidation, meat colour and superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase enzyme activities in Nellore beef cattle.

In the present study, thirty-five Nellore bulls were used to determine the effects of two levels and two sources (organic and inorganic) of Cu supplementation on the oxidative stability of lipids, measured by the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) test, meat colour and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzyme activities. The following treatments were used: (1) control (C) - basal diet without supplementation of Cu (7 mg Cu/kg DM); (2) I10 - basal diet supplemented with 10 mg Cu/kg DM in the form of copper sulphate (inorganic form); (3) I40 - basal diet supplemented with 40 mg Cu/kg DM in the form of copper sulphate; (4) O10 - basal diet supplemented with 10 mg Cu/kg DM in the form of copper proteinate (organic form); (5) O40 - basal diet supplemented with 40 mg Cu/kg DM in the form of copper proteinate. Lipid oxidation was determined in meat samples exposed to display, modified atmosphere (MA) and vacuum packaging (VC) conditions and in liver samples using the TBARS test.