Effect of combination of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisae + Candida utilis) and herbs supplementation in finishing diet on carcass characteristics of beef cattle

Abstract

A 75 days feeding trial was completed to study the effect of inclusion of a combined probiotic yeast+herbs in finishing diet on carcass characteristics of beef cattle. Thirty bull of Ongole crossbred, age 2.5-3 years old with average body weight (BW) of 320 kg were used in this experiment. They were divided into 2 groups, each of 15 animals and were allotted to control and treatment. They were slaughtered at around 450 kg BW. The treated animals were given a supplementation containing combined yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisae and Candida utilis) and herbs. All animals were fed a diet of ammoniated rice straw and commercial concentrate with a ratio of 10: 90. Addition of combined probiotics + herbs in the diet increased percentage of carcass, dressing and meat, but there were no effect on live weight gain (LWG), % bone, meat:bone ratio, % body fat, back fat thickness and eye muscle area. There was a reduction in the percentage of offal due to a decrease in intestinal weight in the treated animal.