Assessing the potential of Buriti and Bocaiuva fruit oils as nutritional additives for cattle in the feedlot

Abstract

We hypothesized that the inclusion of oils from Brazilian Cerrado biome fruits (Buriti oil or Bocaiuva oil) as additives in diets for cattle in the feedlot can increase the animals' productive efficiency. The objective was to evaluate the productive performance, metabolic parameters, carcass, and meat characteristics of Nellore young bulls fed wax-coated nitrogen additives with or without oil in a feedlot diet. Twenty-four non-castrated Nellore young bulls were used, distributed in a completely randomized design, with six animals per treatment, kept in individual pens. The animals began the experimental period with an average body weight of 331.8 ± 25.0 kg. The treatments consisted of a total ratio with (1) Control – without wax-coated nitrogen and oil; (2) wax-coated nitrogen additive without oil, (3) wax-coated nitrogen additive with Buriti oil, (4) wax-coated nitrogen additive with Bocaiuva oil. Animals fed wax-coated nitrogen additive with oils had greater DMI (P = 0.01) than animals fed no oils. Nellore young bulls fed wax-coated nitrogen additive with oils had greater average daily gain during the first 50 days (P = 0.04) and tended to have greater during the first 85 days (P = 0.07) and the overall period (P = 0.10). There were no treatment effects (P > 0.17) on hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, subcutaneous fat, ribeye area, or final carcass pH, and meat quality parameters. Longissimus muscle of animals fed a control diet without additives had low concentrations of 16:0, 16:1, 18:1n9c, sum of monounsaturated (P < 0.05). The inclusion of oil increased C16:0, and C16:1 and decreased C18:3n3 (P < 0.04). Including oil from Brazilian Cerrado biome fruits increases Nellore young bulls' nutrient intake and improves gain in the feedlot without negatively affecting carcass characteristics and beef quality.