meat cuts and non-carcass of sheep finished on pasture with different levels of supplementation

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the yield of meat cuts and other body components of sheep kept on pasture Panicum maximum, Massai cultivar, fed increasing amounts of concentrate. The animals were divided into four treatments according to the concentrate intake in relation to body weight (zero, 0.7, 1.4 and 2.1%). After slaughter of the sheep, the weights of non-hollow viscera (tongue, lung, liver, diaphragm, kidney and spleen), hollow ones (trachea, esophagus, heart, gallbladder, bladder, rumen, omasum, abomasum, small and larger intestines), other components (blood, skin, feet, head, tail and mammary gland) and fat in the viscera (omental, mesenteric, perirenal and cavity). In carcasses, the commercial cuts were made (shoulder, ribs, loin, leg, and neck). The cuts except the neck, did not alter their weights, however, there were changes in their proportions. Only the percentage of loin did not change. With the intake of 1.42% in concentrate for body weight, there was an increase of ribs over the leg. The total weight of the non-carcass did not change, however, there was variations in its proportion. Amongst the most noticeable changes is the amount of visceral fat, which greatly increased when the sheep ingested 1.35% in concentrate for body weight. Therefore, concentrate intake by culling ewes does not increase mass commercial cuts. The proportions of commercial cuts and other body constituents change diffusely. With the maturity has been reached, the observed weight gain is, in most cases, result of increased visceral fat.