Effect of Whole Cottonseed or Protected Fat Dietary Additives on Carcass Characteristics and Meat Quality of Beef Cattle: A review

Abstract

The use of oil supplies in feed increases the energy density of the diet and has the potential to enhance both animal performance and meat quality. Whole cottonseed is an oilseed that has a high concentration of oil and is especially rich in unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid. Whole cottonseed is considered as an excellent alternative addition to ruminant feed. Protected lipids are composed of industry-based fatty acids. In the feedlot, protected lipids are used in conjunction with calcium and, in certain cases, their addition has been seen to augment meat quality in terms of essential fatty acid concentrations. This review discusses and debates the use of the whole cottonseed as well as protected lipids (calcium salts of fatty acids) as dietary additives to ruminant feed and diet, and also its impact on meat quality. The whole cottonseed and or protected lipids are viable feedlot alternatives for use in feedlot when it is desired to reduce the amount of starch in animal diet without compromising the performance. The addition of the whole cottonseed or protected lipid in diet is not affect pH values in meat. The whole cottonseed does not contribute to the improvement of tenderness of the meat. The proportion mean of Desirable fatty acids in meat in the comparative study were: as pentadecanoic acid (C15:1 = 0.29%), palmitoleic acid (C16:1 = 4.26%), heptadecanoic acid (C17:1 = 0.07%), oleic acid (C18:1n9c = 37.32%), r-linolenic acid (0.94%) and a-linolenic acid (1.04%), elaidic acid (C18:1n9t = 0.50%), eicosatrienoic acid (C20:3n3 = 0.03%), eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n3 = 0.04%), erucic acid (C22:1n9 = 0.89%), docosadienoic acid (C22:2 = 0.04%) and stearic acid (C18:0 = 21.53%). The addition the cottonseed or protected lipid in diet does not affect fatty acids profiles the desirable fatty acids in meat.