Abstract
Because the non‐protein nitrogen sources can be an option for a ruminant diet to replace true-protein sources, we hypothesized that using extruded urea in increasing levels by reducing soybean meal in the diet can maintain or improve the productive performance of beef cattle in a feedlot. It was aimed to evaluate the effects of extruded urea levels on the productive performance and carcass and meat characteristics of Nellore steers in feedlot. Twenty-four Nellore steers, with an average age of 22 months and an average initial weight of 333.5 kg, were used. A completely randomized design was used with four treatments: 50, 60, 70, and 80 g/100 kg BW of extruded urea. There was no effect of extruded urea levels on nutrient intake. The final weight and average daily gain were adjusted by a quadratic equation, with maximum estimated values of 479.18 kg and 1.02 kg/day with the inclusion of 59.71, 54.14, and 54.16 g/100 kg BW of extruded urea, respectively. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of extruded urea levels on hot carcass weight (233.3 kg), carcass yield (53.2%), ribeye area (72.7 cm2), and subcutaneous fat thickness (5.3 mm). Likewise, there was no effect (P > 0.05) of extruded urea levels on meat chemical composition, shear force (8.9 KgF), cooking losses (28.2%), pH (5.6), and meat color parameters. We recommended the use of 70 g/100 kg BW of extruded urea in the diet for finishing Nellore steers in confinement.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Pajoara Industria e Comércio Ltda, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, the Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul- FUNDECT, and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – CAPES (Financing Code 001).
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This research was funded by the grant number: 001 [Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel-Brazil (CAPES)]; National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
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LCVI, CCFBI, MNBG, GSD, VZL, and AMD conceived and designed research, and wrote the manuscript. LCVI, ESL, MGPS, and ALCG analyzed the data, discussed the results, and reviewed the manuscript. LCVI, ESL, AHS, LBPS, and RGCP conducted experiment, laboratorial analysis, and collection of samples. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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This study was conducted in strict accordance with the recommendations of the Guide for the National Council for the Control of Animal Experiments. The experimental protocol of research was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use of Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (Protocol 805/2016).
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Ítavo, L.C.V., Ítavo, C.C.B.F., de Nadai Bonin Gomes, M. et al. Effects of extruded urea levels on the productive performance and carcass and meat characteristics of Nellore cattle. Trop Anim Health Prod 55, 247 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03662-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03662-9