title: Effect of vitamin A restriction on performance and meat quality in finishing Holstein bulls and steers.
abstract: Twenty-four Holstein steers and 23 Holstein bulls (initial body weight= 252 ± 3.5 kg and age= 187 ± 7.5d) were randomly allocated to 4 treatments arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design with gender (bulls vs steers) and vitamin A supplementation (either restricted at 1.3 × 1000 IU/kg, VAR, or supplemented at 4.6 × 1000 IU/kg, CTR) to evaluate the effect of vitamin A restriction on performance, carcass and meat quality traits of Holstein steers and bulls. Intramuscular fat was less (P<0.01) in bulls than in steers, and tended (P=0.09) to be greater in VAR than in CTR animals. Oxidative stability tended (P=0.09) to be greater in meat from VAR than from CTR animals at 21 d of ageing. Vitamin A restriction in Holstein bulls does not achieve the same intramuscular fat levels obtained with castration.
authors.affiliation: IRTA-Ruminant Production, Animal Nutrition, Management, and Welfare Research Group, Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marti
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Realini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez-Juan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Devant
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects; D002417:Cattle; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A