Abstract

The effect of pineapple by-product silage as a substitute for elephant grass on carcass yield, commercial cuts and non-carcass components was evaluated in 25 castrated male Santa Inês feedlot finishing lambs. The lambs had an initial body weight of 18.0±3.4 kg, and they were fed four pineapple by-product silage concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%) distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments and five repetitions. Lambs were slaughtered at a body weight of 30 kg. The hot carcass weight and hot carcass yield were recorded and chilled at 4°C for 24 h. The quantitative parameters of the carcass, the wholesale cuts expressed in kg and percentage, and non-carcass components were determined. Carcasses were divided into seven commercial cuts. The hot and cold carcass yields significantly increased when elephant grass was replaced with pineapple by-product silage in the diets. The weight of the false rib and loin cuts increased linearly when pineapple by-product silage was added to the diets (P< 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the weights of the other cuts (P>0.05). The average weights of the non-carcass components were not affected by the addition of pineapple by-product silage, except for gastrointestinal tract (GIT) content, which decreased linearly, and omental-mesenteric, perirenal and internal fat depots, which increased linearly with the addition of pineapple by-product silage to the diets. The use of pineapple by-product silage as a substitute for elephant grass in growing lamb diets is recommended because it did not negatively affect the carcass characteristics, commercial cut yields or non-carcass components.

Key words: Elephant grass, nutrition, sheep, small ruminant, pineapple.