Effect of silk flower hay (Calotropis procera Sw) feeding on the physical and chemical quality of Longissimus dorsi muscle of Santa Inez lambs

The effect of different levels of silk flower hay (Calotropis procera Sw) in the diet of confined lambs by the substitution of the commonly used foraging broom corn hay (Sorghum bicolor L) was investigated to evaluate its possible effects on the growth and quality of the lamb meat. Twenty-four male Santa Inez lambs were divided in equal numbers into four treatment groups and fed diets containing 0%, 16.7%, 33.3% and 50% of silk flower hay (SFH). Growth rate, feed intake and meat quality were investigated. Mean daily gains of lambs were 170 g for control, 180.5 g for 16.7% SFH, 96.8 g for 33.3% SFH and 22.9 g for 50% SFH. The use of silk flower hay in the diet of Santa Inez lambs affected health of the animals and meat pH when the substitution of the forage was high, up to 50%; however, the general meat quality was not affected. Meat from animals fed with levels up to 50% SFH had physical (Aw, a^*, b^* and L^*) and chemical (moisture, ash, lipid, phosphorus, iron, phospholipid and fatty-acid profile) parameters comparable to the control group (0% SFH). Among the various levels of substitution (16.7%, 33.3% and 50%) of silk flower hay in the diet tried in this work, the use of 16.7% was found to be an attractive and technically viable option for the Northeast region of Brazil.