Qualidade da carne de cordeiros alimentados com dietas contendo líquido da casca da castanha de caju - LCC.

Abstract

The performance of the animals, the physical, chemical characteristics and fatty acid profile of the meat of lambs fed diets containing the liquid from the cashew nut shell (LCC) were evaluated. Forty Dorper × Santa Inês crossbred lambs were used, distributed in a randomized block design, with four treatments with ten repetitions, with diets varying in the contents of corn substitution by LCC at levels of 0; 0.75; 1.50 and 2.25%. Samples of the longissimus lumborum muscle were taken for physical-chemical analysis and fatty acid profile. Only the pH was performed on the Semimembranosus muscle. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and subsequent regression at 5% significance. The use of the technical LCC up to the level of 1.5% in the DM improved the performance of the animals and did not influence the physical and chemical characteristics of the meat. The inclusion of LCC in the lambs diet caused a quadratic effect on dry matter consumption (P = 0.034), average daily weight gain (P = 0.016), slaughter body weight (P = 0.002), and the meat fat concentration (P = 0.0021) of the animals and linear reduction in protein (P <0.0001) of the meat as the inclusion of LCC increased. The red coloring parameters (a *; P = 0.0008) and the saturation or chroma index (C *; P = 0.0006) increased linearly with the inclusion of LCC in the animals' diet. Dry matter content, moisture, minerals, pH 24 hours, shear force (WBSF), cooking weight loss (PPC), water holding capacity (CRA), luminosity and yellow color indexes were not affected the inclusion of LCC in the sheep's diet. There was a linear reduction in the concentrations of oleic fatty acid (C18: 1c – 9) and ΣAGMIcis and in the ΣAGMI: ΣAGS ratio, in rumenic acid (C18: 2c – 9-t – 11) and in the nutraceutical index h: H of meat due to the inclusion of LCC in the sheep diet. On the other hand, the addition of LCC in the lambs' diet increased linearly the concentrations of vaccenic acid (C18: 1c – 11) in a quadratic sum of ΣAGMItrans. The other AGS, AGMI- and AGPI, the sums and relationships between the AG, the Atherogenicity Indices (AI) and Thrombogenicity Indices (IT) were not affected (P> 0.05) by the inclusion of LCC in the diet. The inclusion of LCC did not influence the physical-chemical parameters of the meat and did little to alter the fatty acid profile. Thus, it is recommended to include the LCC up to the level of 1.5% in the lamb feed as a source of dietary energy to improve the performance of the animals and the physical and chemical characteristics of the meat.