title: Physical and nutritional properties of buffalo meat finished on hay or maize silage-based diets.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Centro di Ricerca per la Produzione delle Carni e il Miglioramento Genetico, Monterotondo, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia Francesca
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Cifuni
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Contò
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amici
authors.forename: Sebastiana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Failla
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002020:Buffaloes; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D000455:Medicago sativa; D011897:Random Allocation; D003313:Zea mays; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid
keywords: buffalo meat; color; fatty acid composition; feeding system; meat