Carcass traits and meat quality of steers fed palm kernel cake as a replacement for grain sorghum

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of replacing grain sorghum (GS) with palm kernel cake (PKC) on the performance,  carcass traits and meat quality of feedlot steers fed highgrain diets. Forty male ½ Holstein × ½ Nellore steers with an initial weight of  331.1 ± 36.2 kg, at 24 ± 2 months of age, were housed in group stalls (10 cattle/stall) where they received diets containing 0, 80, 160, or  240 g/kg PKC on a dietary dry matter basis. After 126 days, the animals were slaughtered and their carcass and meat evaluated. The  replacement of GS with PKC did not influence empty body weight, carcass weight, carcass length, or carcass yield. However, the thickness  of subcutaneous fat in the carcass decreased with the replacement of GS with PKC. The meat pH increased linearly, whereas there were  no changes in cooking loss, shear force, lightness (L*), and fat or cholesterol contents in the meat of the steers. Partial replacement  (41,57%) of GS with PKC is recommended, with an inclusion of up to 240 g/kg PKC in high-grain diets for steers.