The effect of dietary poultry litter supplementation on beef chemical, cooking, and palatability properties and consumer acceptance

Twenty Holstein steers were randomly and equally allocated to two groups (treatment and control) at a mean weight of 334.3 kg and were backgrounded for 133 days and fed a finishing diet for 99 days under commercial conditions. Control animals received 97.1% corn silage, 2.6% canola meal, and 0.3% mineral mix during backgrounding and 72.6% corn silage, 3.9% canola meat, 23% barley and 0.2% mineral mix during finishing. Treated animals received 95.3% corn silage, 4.4% poultry litter, and 0.3% mineral mix during backgrounding and 62.1% corn silage, 5.6% poultry litter, 22% barley, and 0.2% mineral mix during finishing. The poultry litter was provided as a pelleted. At the end of the finishing period, all animals were harvested. After 144 h at 2 °C, the boneless longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscles were removed, cut into steaks (1.9 cm thick) and roasts, vacuum packaged, and frozen. A steak adjacent to the 13th thoracis vertebra of alternate carcass sides was displayed under simulated retail conditions for 4 days and then analyzed for moisture and fat content. A steak immediately posterior to the 13th thoracis vertebra of alternate carcass sides was evaluated by an experienced trained six-member laboratory panel for palatability attributes. The steak immediately posterior to the steak used for sensory evaluation was used for shear force evaluation. A roast constituting the reminder of the longissimus lumborum muscle was used to obtain complete flavour and texture profiles. Total cooking losses were determined and cooking times were recorded for both steaks and roasts. All remaining steaks (1180) were distributed at random to households to determine consumer acceptance. Treated samples were essentially indistinguishable from control samples in both palatability and consumer acceptance, indicating poultry litter supplements can be utilized in feedlot rations for cattle without compromising either palatability or consumer acceptance.