Características de carcaça e composição tecidual dos cortes comerciais de caprinos e ovinos terminados em caatinga enriquecida com capim-buffel (Cenchrus ciliaris L. CV. biloela) e submetidos a dois tipos de suplementação.

Abstract

The experiment was conducted in order to evaluate two types of supplementation (energetic and proteic-energetic) on carcass characteristics of goats and sheep finished in Caatinga thinned and enriched with buffel-grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L. cv. biloela). It was used 12 goats crossbred F1 (Boer x SRD) and 12 Santa Inês sheep males, not castrated, live weight of 24,28 ± 2,93 kg and 24,31 ± 1,84 kg, respectively. The feeding system consisted of grazing on native Caatinga enriched with buffel-grass and two types of supplementary feeding: energetic based in meal and mineral mixture and energetic-proteic consisting of soybean meal, corn meal and mineral mixture. The diet was fed at a rate of 10 g/kg of live weight, to obtain a weight gain of 150 g/day. The slaughter was carried out at 90 days of the experiment and were evaluated for morphology, conformation and adiposity status. The carcass was split in half and left half carcass was divided into five commercial cuts: neck, shoulder, ribs, loin and leg, which was dissected into subcutaneous fat, inside muscular fat, bone and muscle. The subcutaneous and inside muscular fat was added to quantify the total fat in each slice. The design was completely randomized with a factorial 2x2 (two animal species and two supplementation strategies). The use of energetic-proteic supplementation provided better morphometric indices, the greater weight of the half carcass and commercial cuts and more cuts in the amount of neck muscles, shoulder, loin and leg, independently of animal species and better conformation for sheep. The F1 Boer x SRD goats have higher weight and yield of shoulder and greater amount of muscle in all commercial cuts and Santa Inês sheep have carcasses with better finishing and higher yield of leg and greater amount of fat in the neck, rib, loin and leg. The results presented by this animal study are within the standard required by the consumer with adequate amount of muscle and fat, thus, it is recommended the use of supplemental protein-energy.