Resumo

LOYA-OLGUIN, José Lenin et al. DL-malic acid supplementation improves the carcass characteristics of finishing Pelibuey lambs. Rev. mex. de cienc. pecuarias [online]. 2019, vol.10, n.2, pp.460-472. ISSN 2448-6698.  https://doi.org/10.22319/rmcp.v10i2.4454.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of DL-malic acid addition in Pelibuey finishing diet on average daily gain, carcass characteristics and non-carcass components. Sixteen (16) male lambs with a mean body weight of 27 ± 1.92 kg, were used in a 48-d feeding experiment. Animals were fed a high-energy diet containing corn stover, as the only forage source, with and without the DL-malic acid (MA) addition. Animals were assigned randomly in two treatments with eight lambs each: 1) Addition of 4 g of DL-malic acid per kg of feed and 2) Control (diet 1 without MA). Four male lambs of each treatment were harvested after feeding experiment to measure carcass characteristics and non-carcass components. Lambs fed with MA presented a larger (P<0.05) Longissimus lumborum muscle area. Nevertheless, there were no effects (P>0.05) of MA on daily average weight gain and non-carcass components weight. In conclusion, addition of 4 g DL-malic acid to a high-energy feed enhances muscle accretion, which improves carcass quality of finishing lambs.

Palavras-chave : Malic acid; Animal performance; Carcass characteristics.

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