Effect of Curcuma longa supplementation in post-weaning lambs
ration on performance, carcass and meat quality

The current study aimed to examine the effects of Curcuma longa (CL) addition to the post-weaning lambs ration on production efficiency and carcass quality. Twenty-eight post-weaning (12–14 week old) Awassi male lambs were randomly divided into four groups of seven lambs each, with the first (T1) group fed a standard ration, and the second (T2), third (T3), and fourth (T4) group fed standard rations supplemented with 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg CL powder, respectively. Treatment lasted 12 weeks. Data analysis revealed that CL supplementation improved (P ≤ 0.05) overall body weight gain, daily body weight gain, slaughter weight, and hot and cold carcass weight compared to control. In addition, CL-treated (200 and 300 mg/kg doses) animals showed significantly increased empty body weight, dressing %, broad tail fat, and rib eye area in comparison to the control group. Regarding the physical dissection of three ribs, CL significantly enhanced three rib weight and lean % in T3 and T4 compared to other treatments. Bone percentage decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in T2 and T3, while fat percentage increased significantly in T2 and T3 compared to other treatments. In conclusion, supplementation of post-weaning lamb ration with 300 mg CL improved production traits and meat quality, as well as increased carcass weight, dressing percentage, and lean %. In addition, the fat metabolic pathway in the animal’s body was diverted towards the broad tail, leading to the production of carcasses with a minimal amount of fat desired by consumers.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author would like to thank the University of Mosul and the College of Agriculture and Forestry for their help in this study

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

METADATA IN OTHER LANGUAGES:

Chinese

日粮中添加姜黄对断奶后羔羊生产性能、胴体和肉品质的影响

摘要：本研究旨在研究日粮中添加姜黄（CL）对断奶后羔羊生产效率和胴体品质的影响。选取28只断奶后（12~14周龄）阿瓦西公羔羊，随机分为4组，每组7只，第1组（T1）饲喂标准日粮，第2组（T2）、第3组（T3）和第4组（T4）分别饲喂在标准日粮中添加100、200和300 mg/kg CL粉的试验饲粮，治疗持续12周。数据分析显示，与对照组相比，添加CL可提高（P ≤ 0.05）总增重、日增重、屠宰重和热冷胴体重。此外，与对照组相比，CL处理（200和300 mg/kg剂量）组的动物空体重、屠宰率、宽尾脂肪和肋眼面积显著增加。在 3根肋骨的物理解剖方面，与其他处理相比，CL在T3和T4显著提高了3根肋骨重量和瘦肉率。与其他处理相比，T2和T3组骨率显著降低（P ≤ 0.05），脂肪率显著升高（P < 0.05）。由此可见，在断奶后羔羊日粮中添加300 mg CL可改善羔羊生产性状和肉质，提高胴体重、屠宰率和瘦肉率。此外，羔羊的脂肪代谢途径从体脂型向宽尾型转变，从而可生产消费者青睐的脂肪含量少的胴体。

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