Viability of the use of bovine milk whey at lamb finishing: performance, carcass, and meat parameters

Figures & data

Table 1. Composition of nutrients and chemical-bromatological composition of experimental diets (%) of lambs finished with bovine milk whey in the diet.

Ingredients (%)	Treatments
	CD	DWP	DLW
Ground corn	38.0	33.2	33.2
Soybean meal	28.0	27.0	27.0
Whey	0.0	5.0	5.0
Silage	30.0	30.0	30.0
Mineral salt	1.0	1.0	1.0
Oil	3.0	3.0	3.5
Chemical-bromatological composition (%)
Dry matter	40.5	40.8	30.2
Mineral matter	6.04	5.83	5.75
Crude protein	19.8	18.9	19.4
Ethereal extract	2.2	2.6	2.0
Neutral detergent fibre	26.4	23.2	22.7
Acid detergent fibre	14.9	15.4	16.3
Lignin	4.8	4.9	5.1
Neutral detergent insoluble protein	0.77	0.70	0.91
Acid detergent insoluble protein	1.26	0.79	0.69
*Non-fibrous carbohydrates	49.23	51.73	55.98
*Total digestible nutrients	64.4	67.8	69.0

Note: CD: control diet; DWP: diet with whey powder; DLW: diet with liquid whey.

*Estimated according to the NRC (2001).

Table 2. Performance variables and carcass characteristics estimated in vivo by real-time ultrasonography of lambs finished with bovine milk whey in the diet.

^1Variables	Treatments			Average	^2 P	^3CV (%)
	CD	DWP	DLW
IW (kg)	21.0	23.7	20.1	21.30	0.51	24.58
FW (kg)	25.8	30.1	26.1	27.10	0.07	13.14
DWG (g/day)	43.0	106.0	80.0	76.30	0.15	73.75
DMI* (kg/lot/day)	4.6^a	3.9^a	3.2^b	3.90	0.0001	29.35
CBW (%)	3.22^a	3.08^a	2.46^b	2.92	0.0001	25.08
CP (days)	80.3	56.8	71.9	70.00	0.52	46.93
LEA (cm^2)	9.02	10.89	9.72	9.88	0.266	19.09
SFT (mm)	2.80	3.09	3.02	2.97	0.907	36.88
Marbling	2.16	2.00	2.21	2.12	0.921	43.12

Note: CD: control diet; DWP: diet with whey powder; DLW: diet with liquid whey.

¹IW (initial weight), FW (final weight), DWG (daily weight gain), DMI (dry matter intake), CBW (dry matter consumption as a percentage of body weight), CP (confinement period), LEA (loin-eye area), SFT (subcutaneous fat thickness) and marbling (scale from 1 to 5).

²P = probability of significance.

³CV = coefficient of variation (%).

^a,bDifferent letters in the line differ statistically (p < 0.05).

*Estimated according to the NRC (2001).

Table 3. Qualitative variables of the lambs carcass finished in confinement with bovine milk whey in the diet.

^1Variables	Treatments			Average	^2 P	^3CV (%)
	CD	DWP	DLW
BWS (kg)	25.8	30.10	26.1	27.3	0.074	13.14
HCW (kg)	13.61	15.01	13.13	13.92	0.18	12.18
CCW (kg)	13.22	14.57	12.71	13.50	0.16	11.93
HCY (%)	52.8	49.90	50.5	51.06	0.137	5.05
CCY (%)	51.3	48.40	48.9	49.53	0.116	5.11
BY (%)	58.8	56.90	56.6	57.43	0.461	5.56
CL (%)	2.82	3.01	3.16	2.99	0.678	21.95
Conformation	3.17	3.20	2.86	3.07	0.793	30.69
Finishing	3.67	3.60	3.00	3.42	0.248	22.94

Note: CD: control diet; DWP: diet with whey powder; DLW: diet with liquid whey.

¹BWS (body weight at slaughter), HCW (hot carcass weight), CCW (cold carcass weight), HCY (hot carcass yield), CCY (cold carcass yield), BY (biological yield), CL (cooling loss), Conformation and Finishing of the carcass.

²P = probability of significance.

³CV = coefficient of variation (%).

Table 4. Physical and chemical characteristics in meat of lambs finished in confinement with bovine milk whey in the diet.

^1Variables	Treatments			Average	^2 P	^3CV (%)
	CD	DWP	DLW
WCR (%)	77.93	86.79	80.36	81.7	0.5285	15.98
LBT (%)	31.93	34.15	34.96	33.68	0.7169	19.95
LBC (%)	33.74	35.33	37.56	35.54	0.4643	15.27
L*	43.17	42.92	43.32	43.13	0.9872	9.78
a*	17.48	17.67	16.92	17.35	0.9024	17.44
b*	9.24	10.41	10.04	9.90	0.698	23.71
c	19.84	20.58	19.71	20.04	0.9048	17.20
h (°)	27.49	30.43	30.19	29.37	0.5182	16.34
pH	5.87	5.80	6.00	5.89	0.5556	5.42
M (%)	67.86	67.57	68.91	68.11	0.7442	4.70
EE (%)	7.90^a	6.79^ab	5.19^b	6.62	0.0355	25.94
CP (%)	23.22	24.28	24.95	24.15	0.4577	10.08
MM (%)	1.27	1.29	1.36	1.31	0.4333	10.09

Note: CD: control diet; DWP: diet with whey powder; DLW: diet with liquid whey.

¹WCR (water retention capacity). LBT (loss by thawing). LBC (loss by cooking). L (luminosity). a* (green-red component). b* (blue-yellow component). c (chroma). h (hue). M (moisture). EE (ethereal extract). CP (crude protein). MM (mineral matter).

²P = probability of significance.

³CV = coefficient of variation (%).

[NRC] National Research Council . 2001. Nutrient requirements of dairy cattle. 7. Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press.

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