Carcass traits and meat quality of lambs slaughtered during different seasonal conditions.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of slaughtering feedlot Texel lambs during different climatic conditions on carcass and meat quality traits. Twenty castrated male Texel lambs (21.8 ± 0.62 kg) were distributed to two treatments according to the climatic conditions during the finishing period and at pre-slaughter: warm season (WS; mean temperature of 23.4 °C and 77.5% relative humidity) and cool season (CS; mean temperature of 14.9 °C and 79.5% relative humidity). During the pre-slaughter, thermal comfort was evaluated through the variables: respiratory frequency, rectal temperature, temperature of the ocular region, and temperature-humidity index (THI). After the finishing period, lambs were slaughtered, and carcass and meat quality traits were assessed. The THI values indicate that animals harvested in the WS spent 13 h of the day under potential thermal discomfort conditions in the week before slaughter and in the pre-slaughter period, whereas lambs harvested in the CS did not experience any thermal discomfort. Slaughter weight, carcass weight, carcass dressing, and backfat thickness were greater (P ≤ 0.03), whereas cooling losses were lower (P < 0.01) for lambs slaughtered in the CS. Moreover, thawing losses were lower (P < 0.01), whereas cooking losses were greater (P < 0.01) for lambs harvested in the CS. Lambs slaughtered in the CS also showed greater meat redness, yellowness, and chroma values (P < 0.05). Although carcass traits were affected by the greater thermal discomfort exposure, meat quality of lambs was less impacted by the climatic conditions at slaughter.

Comportamento de bovinos e bubalinos em regime de confinamento: I. atividades / Behavior of bovine and bubaline steers in feedlot regimen: I - activity

O trabalho foi realizado na UFSM e teve por objetivo verificar as diferenças de comportamento entre 12 bovinos (Polled Hereford) e 12 bubalinos (Mediterrânea) de sobreano alimentados com dois tipos de volumoso. O confinamento foi semi-coberto, sendo os animais distribuídos em 8 piquetes de 50m² (três animais por piquete), onde tinham livre acesso à água (bebedouro regulado por bóia automática), alimento (90cm de cocho por animal) e mistura mineral. A alimentação fornecida duas vezes ao dia e à vontade era constituída de volumoso (cana-de-açúcar picada ou silagem de milho - 70 por cento da matéria seca da dieta) e concentrado. As observações foram feitas de uma torre de 6m de altura. Os animais identificados com números à tinta foram observados durante 4 períodos de 24 horas no mês de agosto de 1989. As leituras foram tomadas a intervalos regulares de 5 minutos. A espécie animal foi a maior fonte de variação. Houve interação significativa (P < 0,05) entre espécie e volumoso no tempo que os animais permaneceram deitados e em pé durante as 24 horas do dia e ruminando deitado no período diurno. Os bovinos dispenderam 21,7 por cento do seu tempo com alimentação, contra 20,1 por cento dos bubalinos (P > 0,05). Em ócio os bovinos ficaram 40,7 por cento, contra 44,3 por cento dos bubalinos (P < 0,05). O tempo gasto com ruminação foi de 35,5 por cento para bovinos e 34,2 por cento para bubalinos (P > 0,05). A fonte de volumoso não mostrou ter efeito significativo sobre as atividades principais. Em média o número de abeberações diárias foi de 4 tanto para bovinos como para bubalinos. A grande diferença encontrada foi no tempo que os animais dispenderam no cocho com sal mineralizado (0,8 por cento para bovinos vs 0,3 por cento para bubalinos, P < 0,001).

The study was conducted at the UFSM with the purpose to verity the differences of behavior between 12 bovine (Polled Hereford) and 12 bubaline (Mediterranean) long - yearling steers. The feedlot area was partialy covered and the animals were distributed in 8 pens with 50m² (three animals per pen), were they had free access to water, food and mineral mixture. The access to the feeding trough was 90cm/animal. The roughage (fresh chopped sugar cane or com silage) constituted 70 percent of the dry matter offered and the remaining of the diet was completed with concentrate. Food was provided twice daily, ad libitum. The steers were identified with ink numbers and observed during 4 periods of 24h, in August. The observations were made from a 6m high tower, with 5 minutes intervals. The interaction between species and source of roughage was significant (P < 0.05) for the time that animals remained laying down or standing during the 24 hours, and for the time that animals were ruminating while they were laying down in the diurnal period. The time that animals spent eating was similar (P > 0.05) for the two species (21.7 for the bovino and 20.1 percent for the bubaline). In leisure, the bovino remained during 40.7 percent of the time, against 44.3 percent for the bubaline (P < 0.05). The time that animals spent ruminating was similar (P > 0.05) for bovine (35.3 percent) and bubaline (34.2 percent). In average the two species drank water four times during the 24 hours period. On the trough with salt + bone meal mixture the bovine spent 0.8 percent of the time and the bubaline 0.3 percent (P < 0.001). The source of roughage did not affect the main activities.

Comportamento de bovinos e bubalinos em regime de confinamento: II. hierarquia social / Behavior of bovine and bubaline steers in feedlot regimen: II. social hierarchy

O trabalho foi realizado na UFSM e teve por objetivo verificar as diferenças de comportamento entre 12 bovinos (Polled Hereford) e 12 bubalinos (Mediterrânea) de sobreano alimentados com dois tipos de volumoso em regime de confinamento. O confinamento era semi-coberto e os animais distribuídos em oito piquetes de 50m² e 90cm de cocho por animal. A alimentação fornecida duas vezes ao dia e à vontade era constituída de volumoso (cana-de-açúcar picada ou silagem de milho - 70 por cento da matéria seca da dieta) e concentrado. As observações foram feitas de uma torre de 6m de altura. Os animais identificados com números à tinta foram observados durante 4 períodos de 24 horas no mês de agosto de 1989. A hierarquia social foi determinada através de interações agressivas de um animal sobre o outro. Foi observado mais forte hierarquia entre os bubalinos, onde os animais de maior posição social apresentaram melhores ganhos de peso.

The study was conducted at the UFSM with the purpose to verify the behavior between 12 bovine (Polled Hereford) and 12 bubaline (Mediterranean) steers with 20 months of age. The roughage (fresh chopped sugar cane or com silage) constituted 70 percent of the dry matter offered, the remaining of the diet was completed with concentrate. The food was provided ad libitum twice daily. The animals, identified with ink number, were observed during four periods of 24 hours during the month of August 1989. The social hierarchy was estabilished through the interation of agressiveness of one animal upon the other. A more intenso hiorarchy among bubalino was obsorved, where the more agressive made better weight gains.