Effects on performance, carcass and meat quality of replacing maize silage and concentrate by grass silage and corn-cob mix in the diet of growing bulls

Abstract

Grass silage is barely used in intensive beef production, but it is unclear if its lower energy supply compared to maize-silage feeding really impairs growth performance. Diets with 100, 300, 500 or 750 g grass silage/kg dry matter replacing maize silage and concentrate were tested with or without dried corn-cob mix (CCM). Performance, carcass and meat quality were studied in 30 Limousin-sired bulls. Feeding grass silage, CCM, and concentrate in a ratio of 500:300:200 allowed to maintain a similar animal performance, carcass and meat quality compared to a conventional maize silage/concentrate diet. Increasing the dietary grass silage proportion to 750 g/kg decreased the shear force of the meat. The proportion of n-3 fatty acids in intramuscular fat increased with dietary grass silage proportion. Consequently, a strategic combination of grass silage with energy-rich forages may facilitate grassland-based feeding strategies in intensive beef production with favourable meat fatty acid profiles and a performance comparable to that with maize-silage based diets.

Keywords: Beef cattle; Fatty acids; Grassland; Sensory evaluation; Sustainable production; Vitamin E.