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Copyright of Alinteri Journal of Agriculture Sciences is the property of Ataturk University, Faculty of Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The chemical composition, in vitro total gas and CH4 production and performance of cattle fed on factory black tea waste (Camellia sinensis) (BTW), alfalfa (Medicago Sativa), sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa) and white clover (Trifolium repens) was investigated. The gas production was quantified at the 24th hour of the incubation process. BTW was found to vary from roughages in chemical composition (p < 0.05). In addition, the roughages differed in terms of nutrient composition and gas production (p < 0.05). In legume roughages, acetic acid (AA), propionic acid (PA), butyric acid (BA), and total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) values ranged from 52.36–57.00 mmol/L, 13.46–17.20 mmol/L, 9.79–12.43 mmol/L, and 79.71–89.05 mmol/L, respectively. In comparison with black tea waste, legume roughages had higher values of AA, PA, BA, and TVFA. Black tea waste contained a higher acetic acid ratio than legume roughages when compared as a percentage. There was a similar ratio of propionic acid to the rate calculated for sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa) and clover (Trifolium repens), and a similar ratio of butyric acid to the ratio determined for alfalfa (Medicago Sativa). The current study shows that the 5.7–6.3% tannin content of black tea waste can be used in ruminant rations with high-quality roughages. Due to the fact that BTW reduces methane emissions from ruminants and eliminates energy waste from them, the environment can be improved. To obtain more reliable results, further animal feeding experiments on legume roughages and BTW are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using nylon bag techniques, Cornell net carbohydrates and protein systems (CNCPS), and scanning electron microscopy, the authors examined the digestibility and structure of Vicia ervilia (ervil, bitter vetch) after steam flaking, roasting, and microwave processing. During the in situ technique, the samples were incubated at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, and 48 h. For the description of the ruminal DM (dry matter) and CP (crude protein) degradation kinetics of treated and untreated Vicia ervilia, different models were selected as the best fit for the dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) degradation parameters of steam flaked samples. The results showed that both the steam flaking and microwave treatment samples contained high levels of non-protein nitrogen and buffer soluble protein, respectively. In comparison with steam flaking and microwave treatment, roasting decreased and increased the buffer soluble protein and neutral detergent insoluble protein, respectively. The control treatments showed the highest levels of neutral detergent soluble protein and the lowest levels of acid detergent soluble protein. Moreover, steam flaking and roasting decreased and increased the amount of acid detergent insoluble protein, respectively. When using dry heat (microwave and roasting), the acid detergent soluble and insoluble protein fractions were increased. As a result of this experiment, the nitrogen fractions were altered using heat processing. Hence, protein fermented feed and ruminal fermentation conditions can be expressed using these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modifying the chemical composition of a diet can be a good strategy for reducing methane emission in the rumen. However, this strategy can have adverse effects on the ruminal microbial flora. The aim of our study was to reduce methane without disturbing ruminal function by stimulating the growth and propagation of methanotrophs. In this study, we randomly divided twenty multiparous Holstein dairy cows into 4 groups in a 2×2 factorial design with two forage levels (40% and 60%) and two nitrate supplementation levels (3.5% and zero). We examined the effect of experimental diets on cow performance, ruminal fermentation, blood metabolites and changes of ruminal microbial flora throughout the experimental period (45-day). Additionally, in vitro methane emission was evaluated. Animals fed diet with 60% forage had greater dry matter intake (DMI) and milk fat content, but lower lactose and milk urea content compared with those fed 40% forage diet. Moreover, nitrate supplementation had no significant effect on DMI and milk yield. Furthermore, the interactions showed that nitrate reduces DMI and milk fat independently of forage levels. Our findings showed that nitrate can increase ammonia concentration, pH, nitrite, and acetate while reducing the total volatile fatty acids concentration, propionate, and butyrate in the rumen. With increasing nitrate, methane emission was considerably decreased possibly due to the stimulated growth of Fibrobacteria, Proteobacteria, type II Methanotrophs, and Methanoperedense nitroreducens, especially with high forage level. Overall, nitrate supplementation could potentially increase methane oxidizing microorganisms without adversely affecting cattle performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrate may reduce the ruminal methane emission by competing methanogenesis to achieve more hydrogen. For this purpose, twenty Holstein lactating cows were examined using a 2×2 factorial design in 4 groups for 60 days with two forage levels (40% and 60%) and supplemental nitrate 0% (F40 and F60) and 3.5% (F40N and F60N) of diet dry matter (DM). Then, the effect of nitrate and forage levels on cow performance, ruminal fermentation, methane emission, and metabolic hydrogen sink were evaluated. The nitrate supplementation did not significantly affect milk yield and ECM/DMI, while milk urea nitrogen was increased. Lowest quantity of milk vitamins (A and E) was observed in nitrate groups. The nitrate supplementation increased c9-C18:1, unsaturated fatty acids, and n-6/n-3 contents of the milk. Blood parameters were affected by nitrate supplementation. Blood met-Hb concentration was increased, while blood glucose was decreased in nitrate groups. High forage and nitrate fed animals (F60N) had higher ruminal acetate and lower propionate concentration, and higher acetate+butyrate to propionate ratio than other groups. Nitrite and NH3-N concentrations were higher in the rumen of nitrate fed animals. Nitrate supplementation inhibited gas volume and methane emission without affecting volatile fatty acids at 12 and 24 h of incubation. The H2 balance, H2 production and consumption, and recovery percentage were significantly lower in F60N group. In conclusion, nitrate supplementation can be employed as an alternative strategy for improving ruminal fermentation, milk quality and methane inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate in vitro gas and methane production, gas production parameters (a + b, c), organic matter digestibility (OMD), metabolic energy (ME) and net energy lactation (NEL) of wheat straw treated with silage effluent. Groups were formed as wheat straw (control group, (W)), straw treated with urea + molasses (WUM) and silage effluent (WS), water. urea and molasses (WHUM), water (WH), 50% silage effluent +50% water + urea + molasses (WSHUM), and then except for control group. treatment groups were subjected to 45 days anaerobic fermentation. Crude protein and crude ash contents of the straw groups treated with silage effluent were increased (P<0.01), and cell wall elements such as ADF and NDF of the treatment groups were decreased (P<0.01). In addition, OMD, ME andNEL contents and in vitro gas production (IVIG) values of straw were increased by treatment with silage effluent (P<0.01). It was determined that the addition of urea and molasses to wheat straw did not affect the production of methane according to the control, and in vitro gas production parameters were improved (P<0.01). In conclusion, in order to improve feed value of wheat straw, it may be treated with silage effluent cauising environmental pollution and nutrient loss, and further works should be carried out to illuminate the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to determine the effects of boron addition into the diets on serum parameters of hens. A total of 288 Lohman laying commercial hybrid chickens of 62 weeks were fed for 12 weeks with four different rations containing basal feed 0 (B0), 50 (B50), 75 (B75) and 150 (B150) mg / kg B. Each group was replicated in 18 cages, four hens per cage. During the study, 16 hours lighting program was applied, feed and water were given as ad-libitum. The effect of boron supplementation was not significant on the rates of diacylglycerol and hydrocarbon+cholesterol esters (P>0.05) but the rates of polarlipid, triacylglycerol (P<0.05), and serum total cholesterol (P<0.01) were found significant. Lipid peroxidation values of groups fed with diets including 75 and 150 mg/kg B were determined lower than others. Addition of ration B affected different molecular weight proteins at different levels. In conclusion, it has been determined that the addition of B at different levels into the diets of laying hens during late laying period significantly influenced the serum lipid peroxidation, serum lipid and serum protein profile, but further researches are needed to clarify the changes related to the effects of B addition into diets on mentioned parameters of laying hens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to determine the effects of lovastatin supplementation on laying performance, egg quality, yolk lipid profile and some serum parameters in Lohmann LS white commercial laying hens reared in poultry houses of Food and Livestock Application and Research Center of Ataturk University. In this experiment, Lohmann layers (n=48, 46 wks of age) were randomly divided into two groups such as control (C) fed with basal diet and treatment (L) group fed with diet including 0,0059 % of lovastatin. After one week of the adaptation period, experiment lasted for five weeks. During the experimental period, hens were fed as ad-libitum and water through nipples was available for all the times. Lovastatin supplementation increased feed consumption (FC) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Except for yolk color, other egg quality traits were not affected by diet including 0,0059 % of lovastatin. Hens fed with treatment diet had greater triglyceride and phosphatidyl serine values than hens fed with basal diet. Differences between the groups in terms of the levels of egg yolk and serum cholesterol were not significant in present study. These differences could be attributed to short experimental period and low lovastatin added to basal diet of hens. In conclusion, further studies should be conducted to clarify the effects of lovastatin supplementation on laying performance, egg quality, yolk lipid profile and some serum parameters in laying hens fed with diets including lovastatin at different levels during long feeding period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Yuzuncu Yil Universitesi Journal of Agricultural Sciences (YYU J Agr Sci) is the property of Yuzuncu Yil University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study was carried out to determine the effect of dietary rosehip seed (RS) supplementation into layer diets at different levels on performance, egg quality traits and some serum parameters. A total of 72 Lohmann layers, 46 weeks old, were divided into three treatment groups. The control group was fed with commercial layer diet (K), and the other two groups were fed with basal diet + 10% ground rosehip seeds (K1) and basal diet + 15% ground rosehip seeds (K2) for 12 weeks. The water and feed were provided as ad-libitum during the trial. The rosehip seed supplementation level at 15% into layer diets increased the feed consumption and egg yield (p<0.05), and decreased the damaged egg ratio. Though some egg quality traits such as the yolk colour, shell thickness and shell weight increased (p<0.05) in eggs from K2 group, there were no significant differences (p> 0.05) among the groups in respect to other egg quality traits such as shape index, shell strength, albumen and yolk indexes and Haugh unit values. Total cholesterol, cholesterol esters, free fatty acids and triglyceride contents in the egg yolks from treatment groups were not affected by dietary treatments (p> 0.05). Serum parameters such as albumin, total cholesterol, VLDL, triglyceride and ALT values increased (p <0.05) with the RS supplementation at level of 15% into layer diet. Results showed that rosehip seed supplementation into layer diets may be beneficial to improve egg quality traits especially such as shell thickness and to decrease damaged egg ratio. But further investigations are needed to clarify the use of rosehip seed in layer diets and its effects on performance, egg quality and serum parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of slaughter age and muscle type on meat quality properties of Eastern Anatolian Red (EAR) bulls (n=46) were investigated in the present study. Forty-six EAR bulls were slaughtered at 15, 17, 19, 25 and 27 months. Meat samples were taken from longissimus dorsi (LD) and gluteus medius (GM) muscles obtained from the carcasses at 24 h post-mortem. Meat color parameters were significantly affected by slaughter age. Older animals (19, 25 and 27 months of age) possessed higher L* , a* and H values than those of younger animals (15 and 17 months of age). LD muscle had higher L* and a* values than those of GM muscles. The influences of slaughter age and muscle type on the proportions of dry matter, ether extract, crude ash and crude protein were not significant in the present study. The influence of slaughter age on the tenderness, acceptability, juiciness, number of chews and Warner–Bratzler shear (WBS) values were found to be significant. Tenderness, juiciness, flavor intensity and acceptability increased until 19 months of age, and then increase in age resulted in lower tenderness, flavor intensity and acceptability scores. Cooking yield significantly increased depending on the increase of age. WBS and cooking yield values from the LD were higher than that of the GM muscle. Textural characteristics such as hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness and resilience were not affected by slaughter age, but muscles had a significant influence on hardness, gumminess, chewiness and resilience. In conclusion, most eating quality characteristics and color parameters were positively influenced by slaughter age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of coriander oil supplementation at different levels into diets of laying hens on performance, egg quality traits, yolk thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values and some blood parameters. A total of 96 Lohmann white layers, 24 weeks of age, were used in this study as control and three treatment groups, each containing 24 hens. Control group (K-0) was fed with diet containing a standard commercial layer diet, other treatment groups were fed with diets containing basal diet plus 0.1% (KY-1), 0.3% (KY-2), 0.5% (KY-3) coriander oil, respectively. Experiment lasted for 12 weeks. Performance parameters such as feed intake, feed conversion rate and cracked egg rate were not affected by dietary treatments (P>0.05), but adding coriander oil into layer diets increased egg production and decreased egg weight compared with the control group (P<0.01). Dietary treatment did not affected egg quality traits (P>0.05). While coriander oil supplementation decreased serum cholesterol content, other serum parameters were not affected by dietary treatment (P>0.05). Yolk TBARS values were not differed among the treatment groups (P>0.05) during storage time (0, 7, 14 and 28 days). The storage time of eggs affected TBARS formation (P<0.01) and increased yolk TBARS values significantly in egg stored during 28 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of inclusion of raw or physical treated (water-soaked and roasted) common vetch seed into broiler diets on performance, slaughter traits and some blood parameters. A total of 200 Ross- 308 broiler chicks, one day of age, were randomly allocated to four groups. Treatment groups were fed with basal diet (C) or diets containing of basal diet plus 20% raw vetch seed (RV), basal diet plus 20% water-soaked vetch seed (SV), basal diet plus 20% roasted vetch seed (RV) for 6 weeks. Diets were formulated isonitrogenous and isocaloric with all other nutrients recommended NRC requirements for broilers and given ad-libitum to treatment groups. During the trial, live weights and feed consumptions were weekly determined for performance traits, and blood samples were taken for analysis before slaughter. At the end of the experiment, 5 chicken were selected from each group to determine slaughter traits. Average daily live weight gain(g), daily feed intake(g) and feed conversion rate (kg feed / kg of weight gain) were 47.92, 46.65, 48.12, 47.30; 110.34, 100.51, 104.31, 105.25; 2.32, 2.26, 2.17, 2.22 for the K, ÇF, IF and KF groups, respectively. The effect of treatment on performance traits was insignificant (P>0.05). No significant differences were found among the groups in mortality (P> 0.05). Cholesterol, HDL and LDL from blood serum parameters were affected by treatment, but the effect of treatment on the other blood parameters and slaughter traits were not significant in present study. Consequently, the results from the present study indicated that soaked and roasted common vetch seed may be included the level of 20% as a protein source in broiler diets without adverse effect on the performance, slaughter traits and blood serum parametres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Yuzuncu Yil Universitesi Journal of Agricultural Sciences (YYU J Agr Sci) is the property of Yuzuncu Yil University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although Turkey is one of the world's most important countries with egg production, total production is not at its current potential. The most effective way to increase total egg production is to increase productivity. In this study, egg production efficiency of rations formed by adding humate to laying hen’s basal diet at various ratios was analyzed using Gamma and McNally models. It was determined that humate added at 0.15% into diet of laying hens gives the maximum contribution to egg production. As a result, it is suggested that further investigations in different regions on different species and breed of poultry are needed to clarify the effect of humate supplemented into diets of laying hen on the egg production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to determine the mineral substances such as macro and micro minerals of legume and cereal forages grown as naturally in the pastures of Erzurum province. In present study, clover, (Medicago sativa), mountain hispanic sainfoin (Hedysarum elegans), bird vetch (Vicia cracca), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), mountain vetch (Vicia alpestris), mountain clover (Trifolium montanum), caucasian clover (Trifolium ambiguum), the three-headed clover (Trifolium trichocephalum), tawny grass crown (Coronilla varia), the crown of the eastern horn of grass (Coronilla orientatis) and yellow flowers gazelle (Lotus corniculatus) from legume forages; cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata), crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum), red fescue (Festuca rubra), sheep ball (Festuca ovina), tawny bromine (Bromus variegatus), blue split (Agropyron intermedium), kelp tail grass (Phleum pratense), meadow bluegrass (Poa pratensis) from cereal forages were investigated. The obtained data were subjected to an analysis of variance by using SPSS 12.0 package program. Significant differences between means were tested by using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. Macro minerals such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Sulfur (S) assigned for legume forages changed between 2.39- 3.30%, 1.16-1.28%, 0.70-2.69%, 0.56-1.61%, 0.11-0.51% and 0.16-0.27%, respectively. The amounts of micro mineral like Iron (Fe), Virgin (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn) and Boron (B) of legume forages were determined to be 105.9-893.7 ppm, 2.22-12.36 ppm, 14.11-195 ppm, 18.18-66.58 ppm and 5.91-40.39 ppm, respectively. Instances of macro minerals of cereal forages were found for N 1.76-of 2.19%, P 1.10-1.19%, K 1.99-3.25%, Ca 0.09-1.15%, Mg 0.07-0.26% and S 0.22-0.36% in present study. Micro minerals such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn and B determined for cereal forages changed between 74.90-630.6 ppm, 4- 9.84 ppm, 31.49-335.6 ppm, 24.63-94.51 ppm and 0.35-26.64 ppm, respectively. In conclusion, present study carried out to determine the macro and micro mineral contents of legume and cereal forages grown as naturally showed that differences in terms of macro and micro minerals among both legume forages and cereal forages were significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal performance declines considerably after summer dormancy during the grazing season in the steppe rangelands of East Anatolia. The aim of this study was to determine the growth performance of Holstein heifers grazed on rangeland and supported with concentrate. Forage amount, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of forage were sampled biweekly during the grazing season. In the experiment, heifers (250 ± 10 kg) were allocated to 1 of 3 feeding trials: 1) control, 2) grazing plus concentrate supplement fed at 1% of bodyweight once daily, and 3)grazing plus concentrate supplement fed at 1.5% of bodyweight once daily. The forage allowance increased from the beginning to the middle of July and thereafter continuously declined until the end of the season. CP content of forage declined from the beginning to the middle of July and thereafter it slightly increased until the end of the season. Both NDF and ADF content of forage increased from the beginning of August and thereafter declined. Bodyweight increased throughout the season, and the increases were considerably higher in the supplemented groups than in the control. Total live weight gain at the end of the grazing season was higher in the supplemented groups than in the control; however, there were no significant differences between the supplemented groups. According to the study results, concentrate supplement fed at 1% bodyweight after the start of summer dormancy can improve animal performance in the rangelands in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kafkas Universitesi Veteriner Fakultesi Dergisi is the property of University of Kafkas, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, the situation of animal husbandry of Erzincan province between the years of 2000 - 2010 were examined, and its problems and proposals for solutions were discussed for the last decade, Some important changes have occurred in point of view of existence of bovine during 2000-2010 in Erzincan province. As compared, the number of total native cattle, buffalo and cattle crossbreeds of province in 2010 years were lower as 51.8%, 52.5% and 11.4% respectively, than those of the 2000 years, On the other hand, the number of pure breeding of cattle increased as 15.8%, according to 2000 years. For the same period mentioned above, the number of total native, buffalo, pure cattle breed and cultural crossbreeds of Erzincan province were respectively 1.62%, 0.8%, 1.5% and 0.9% of Turkey bovine numbers, as proportioned. The vast majority of the existing livestock enterprises in the province of Erzincan is the style of a small family business. Main problems of animal husbandry of the province are related to scanty animal shelters, lack of cultivation, high costs of feeding because of yield losses of pastures, inadequate forage and crops production and uncoordinated agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Alinteri Journal of Agriculture Sciences is the property of Ataturk University, Faculty of Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences is the property of Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study was conducted to define the effects of ram horn hydrolysate (RHH) on the pH and color properties of carcasses and dissected products in broilers. Two-hundred and forty male broiler chicks (Ross-308) were fed with basal diets supplied with RHH for 4 wks. Chicks were allocated to four dietary treatments (H 0 , H 1 , H 2 and H 3 groups) in a completely randomized experimental design. Feed and water were offered ad libitum consumption and lightening was continuous throughout the experimental period. H 0 group was fed only the basal diet and given normal drinking water. Treatment groups were fed with basal diet plus a 1% (H 1 ), 2% (H 2 ), and 3% (H 3 )-RHH-added water in place of normal drinking water to meet the daily water requirements of chickens from 1 to 28 days of ages. At the end of the trial all birds were slaughtered, then the ranges of pH and skin color of carcasses were determined at various times during the first 24 hour (1, 3, 7, 12, 17, and 24). After standard dissection of carcasses, breasts and drumsticks were divided into two groups for vacuum and aerobic packaging. Packed breasts and drumsticks were stored at 3 60.58 C, for 12 days, and the color values were determined. The pH values of H 3 group were lower than those of H 0 , H 1 and H 2 groups (p [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body weight-age data from fifty-four Morkaraman and seventy-nine Awassi sheep, from birth to thirty-six months of age, were used to obtain a growth pattern for the breeds, with the use of Brody, logistic, Gompertz, Bertalanffy and Richards non-linear functions. In both breeds, the Brody and Richards models, with equal R² as 0.99, were superior to the others. However, Brody was precise on its parameters and easy to interpret than Richards function. As a result of heterogeneity, on the other hand, no curve computed using mean body weights in this study had the ability to uniformly represent every individual (p<0.001). Biological interpretations of the model parameters were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of vitamin E supplementation on growth, non-carcass components and retail cut percentages, and meat quality traits of Awassi male lambs at approximately 8 months of age. The lambs were divided into two groups as control (CG, n=12) and experimental (VG, n=12) at the beginning of the fattening period. The CG and VG lambs were fed with a concentrate and grass hay close to ad-libitum by biweekly adjustment of the amount offered. In addition, the VG received a supplement of 45 mg vitamin E per lamb per day during a 75-day fattening period. Inital weight, final weight, daily weight gain and feed conversion efficiency were 31.8±1.40 kg, 45.5±1.37 kg, 183±13 g and 7.6 for CG, 32.5±1.45 kg, 46.7±1.42 kg, 189±15 g and 7.0 for VG, respectively. Vitamin E supplementation did not have a statistically significant effect on animal performance traits, non-carcass components and retail cut percentages, but produced an 8.1% improvement in feed conversion efficiency. After slaughter, carcasses were chilled at 4 °C for 24 h. Then, the carcasses were dissected into wholesale cuts, and m. longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles excised. The samples of muscle were subjected to moisture, protein, ether extract and ash analyses. Samples were cooked for shear test and cooking yield measurements. There were no significant differences between CG and VG lamb groups in chemical composition of meat samples from the LD muscles. Though the influence of vitamin E supplementation on color parameters (L*, a*, b*) was not statistically significant, the mean a* (redness) values decreased on days 2 and 4 and increased on days 7 and 12 of the storage period. However, the a* values of muscles from the VG were higher than those grouping CG. L* and a* values in LD muscle from vitamin E-treated lamb groups were also preserved for a period of 12 days of maturation. In this study, drip loss was relatively preserved by vitamin E supplementation to the diet of animals.The results showed that vitamin E supplementation to the diet of Awassi male lambs at an inclusion rate over the amount of nutritional recommendations relatively reduced lipid oxidation, drip loss and tended to maintain meat redness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Deals with a study which evaluated growth performance, slaughter characteristics, carcass measurements and characteristics of several Turkish pure lamb breeds raised under semi-intensive management. Materials and methods; Results; Discussion.

This research was carried out to determine the effects of vitamin E supplementation on meat quality traits of approximate 8 months of age Morkaraman male lambs. The lambs were divided into two groups—control (CG, n=7) and experimental (VG, n=6)—at the beginning of fattening period. The diet given to the CG and VG consisted of concentrate and grass hay. In addition, the VG received a supplement of 45 mg vitamin E per lamb in a day during a 75-day fattening period. At the end of the study, average daily weight gain and feed conversion efficiency values as to feed basis were found to be 208 g and 6.3 for CG and 223 g and 6.0 for VG groups, respectively. Vitamin E supplementation resulted in 8.8% improvement in feed conversion efficiency. In the same way, vitamin E supplementation resulted in 6.7% increase in daily weight gain. Slaughter and carcass characteristics of lambs were also determined, but fattening performance, slaughter and carcass characteristics were not significantly different between groups. The effects of vitamin E on meat characteristics, meat colour (L*, a* and b*), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances content (TBARS), drip loss and pH were determined using m. longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles obtained from CG and VG. Though the effect of vitamin E supplementation on most of the meat quality traits was not statistically significant (P>0.05), L* and a* values in LD muscle from VG were preserved for a period of 12 days of maturation. In addition, a* (redness) tended to increase slightly. TBARS values in samples from CG were found to be higher than those of vitamin E treatment group. In this study, it was also concluded that drip loss was relatively preserved by vitamin E supplementation. In conclusion, vitamin E supplementation of Morkaraman male lambs at an inclusion rate over the amount of nutritional recommendations, significantly reduced lipid oxidation, drip loss and tended to maintain meat redness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]