Composição física e química dos cortes comerciais da carcaça de ovinos Santa Inês terminados em pastejo e submetidos a diferentes níveis de suplementação.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding supplementation in the chemical and tissue composition of leg, loin, shoulder, rib, neck from carcass of Santa Inês lambs, terminated in pasture. This study was carried out at Lameirão Experimental Station/CSTR/Federal University of Campina Grande. Twenty-four emasculated 3 to 4 month-old Santa Inês lambs were used, with an initial live body weight (LW) of 15.8 kg ± 1.4 kg. The experimental diets were composed of buffel grass enriched native pasture (ad libitum) and a concentrated mixture of corn flour, soy crumb and minerals corresponding to a daily supplementation of concentrate equivalent to 0.0, 1.0 and 1.5 % of LW. This last concentrate mixture level was adjusted to a daily body weight gain of 200g/animal. The treatments were randomly assigned to the animals according to a completely randomized design, with three treatments and eight replications (lambs). The wholesale cuts were dissected in muscle, bone, fat and their absolute and relative weight were determined. The muscle fraction was analised for dry matter, crude protein, fat and ashes contents. A daily concentrate supplementation equivalent to 1.0 % or 1.5 % of LW for Santa Inês lambs terminated in pasture in the semi-arid results in carcasses with neck, shoulder, ribs, loin, legs and half-carcass with similar muscle proportion and muscle:fat ratio; thus, to obtain light or heavy lamb carcass it is recommended a concentrate supplementation equivalent to 1.0 or 1.5% of LW, respectively. Considering the crude protein and fat contents in wholesale cuts it may be recommended a daily supplementation level equivalent to 1.0% of LW when the objective is to produce lambs with slaughter body weight of 23 kg under pasture conditions while supplementation equivalent to 1.5% of LW is suitable to the production of lambs with slaughter body weight of 27 kg with a higher fat content in wholesale cuts.