Physical and nutritional properties of buffalo meat finished on hay or maize silage‐based diets
2014
Cifuni, Giulia Francesca | Contò, Michela | Amici, Andrea | Failla, Sebastiana
The current study examines the effect of different finishing diets (hay‐ vs. maize‐silage on meal ration) on carcass quality, physical, chemical and sensory properties, and fatty acid profiles of buffalo meat. Twenty male Italian Mediterranean buffaloes (246 ± 9.00 kg live weight) were distributed at random into two groups at the beginning of the finishing period (368 ± 20 days). The buffaloes were offered two finishing diets: a maize silage (MS) or an alfalfa hay (AH) diet. No significant differences were found between dietary treatments for live and carcass weight. Meat chemical composition was influenced by dietary treatment. A higher fat content was detected in meat from animals finished with MS than AH (P < 0.05). Overall, the data indicated differences between the fatty acid profiles of meat as a consequence of different feeding systems. The higher fat deposition in the MS group resulted in meat with a less favorable fatty acid profile (i.e. a lower polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio and α‐linolenic fatty acid content) in relation to human health compared with meat from animals fed the AH diet.
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