MEAT YIELD, QUALITY AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIGENOUS AND CROSSBRED CATTLE REARED UNDER IMPROVED FEEDING SYSTEM

Abstract

A study was conducted to develop suitable and cost effective feeding system for improving performance and meat quality of indigenous and crossbred (HF × L) cattle of Bangladesh. After conducting a baseline survey on the existing feeding and management systems of indigenous and crossbred cattle, and the socio-economic conditions of the farmers, 40 farmers were selected for the fattening program from two villages (Kathalbaria and Char Faridpur) of Raiganj upazila of Sirajganj district. Twenty indigenous bulls (average body weight 208.08 ± 13.98 kg) and twenty crossbred (L × HF) bulls (average body weight 256.26 ± 26.85 kg) of 24 months of age were divided into four equal groups were fed on four diets (T0, T1, T2 and T3) up to 120 days, where T0 referred to the conventional diet and T1, T2 and T3 referred as improved diets. Required DM for individual animal was supplied by roughage and concentrate sources of the ration in the ratio of 2:1. Local grass and paddy straw were supplied to group T0 and T1, Napier grass and straw to group T2, and Napier grass, straw and Ipil ipil leaf to group T3 as roughage; whereas concentrate was supplied as 1.5% of live weight. The results revealed that, total DM intake, FCR and ADG of experimental animals were affected (p<0.01) by feed treatment, breed, and interaction of breed and feed treatment. Crossbred bulls of diet group T3 showed the highest DM intake (11.07 kg/d) and ADG (1.17 kg), and the lowest FCR (9.48); while indigenous bulls of group T0 showed the lowest DM intake (5.32 kg/d), ADG (0.27 kg) and the highest FCR (19.7). Breed type and feed treatment interaction had significant (p<0.01) effect on pre-slaughter body measurements, carcass yield characteristics, and most of the parameters for yield of primal cuts and non-carcass components of the experimental animals. Feed treatments also affected (p<0.01) different pre-slaughter body measurements, carcass yield characteristics, weights of most of the primal cuts as percent of chilled carcass weight of indigenous bulls, and most of the parameters for yield of non-carcass components. Different body measurements, carcass yield parameters and non-carcass components were significantly higher (p<0.01) for crossbred bulls than the indigenous bulls, but yield of primal cuts did not affected (p>0.05) by breed type. The highest retail cut percentage (54.59%, yield grade-1.00) was found for group T3 of crossbred bulls and the lowest retail cut percentage (52.45%, yield grade 1.97) was found for group T0 of native bulls. Among different physical properties of meat breed and feed treatment interaction significantly affected cooking loss (p<0.01), marbling score (p<0.05) and color score (p<0.01); but did not affect (p>0.05) meat pH and drip loss. Feed treatments had no significant effect on physical properties of meat of indigenous bulls, except effect (p<0.01) on cooking loss and color score of meat of crossbred bulls. Cooking loss and marbling score of meat were significantly higher (p<0.01 and p<0.05) for crossbred bulls than the native bulls, while meat pH, drip loss and color score were not affected (p>0.05) by breed type. Breed and feed treatment interaction had significant effect (p<0.01) on proximate compositions of meat, but the proximate compositions did not vary significantly (p>0.05) among different feed treatment groups. Moisture content was higher (p<0.01) for meat of crossbred bulls, while protein, fat and ash content of meat was lower (p<0.01) in crossbred bulls than the native bulls. The sensory properties of beef i.e. the tenderness, chewiness, fineness, beef flavor intensity and color of beef from indigenous bulls were higher than the crossbred bulls although not significant (p>0.05); which caused higher (p<0.05) overall acceptability of meat for indigenous bulls than the crossbred bulls. Total viable count (TVC) of beef ranged from 3.63 log10 CFU/g to 4.90 log10 CFU/g (P<0.01) among different feed treatment groups of indigenous and crossbred bulls, but did not exceed the recommended safe limit of ICMSF (1986) for beef. Feed cost per day (BDT/d), feed cost per kg LW gain (BDT/kg LWG), total cost (BDT) and net return (BDT) were also affected (p<0.01) by feed treatments, breed type and interaction of breed and feed treatment. Indigenous and crossbred bulls fed diet T3 had comparatively higher daily feed cost (76.66 and 112.9 BDT/d, respectively), and lower feed costs per kg LW gain (BDT 156/kg LWG and BDT 96.78/kg LWG, respectively); while lower daily feed costs (45.99 and 59.26 BDT/d, respectively), and higher feed cost per kg LW gain (169.94 and 130.86 BDT/kg LWG, respectively) were found for diet T0. Both for indigenous and crossbred bulls, diet T0 showed significantly (p<0.01) lower total costs (33305.2 BDT and 47577 BDT, respectively) and net returns (622.8 BDT and 2324.8 BDT, respectively), while improved diet (T3) showed significantly (p<0.01) higher total costs (42569.8 BDT and 56563 BDT, respectively) and net returns (2951.6 and 6683 BDT, respectively) in this cattle fattening program. Crossbred bulls showed significantly higher (p<0.01) total cost and net return than the indigenous bulls. So considering all the above findings, it may be concluded that fattening of indigenous bulls could be suitable for production of better quality beef meat with lower cooking loss, marbling, prime color, higher protein, fat, ash content and consumer acceptability. But, crossbred (HF × L) bulls treated with improved diet T3 (rice straw + Napier grass + concentrate + Ipil ipil leaf) could be more effective and economically feasible for beef cattle production in Bangladesh.