Quantitative measures of lambs fed hydrolyzed sugarcane under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of aerobic and anaerobic conditions on hydrolyzed sugarcane, over the in vivo morphological measurements, quantitative traits of carcass and non-carcass components of lambs. Twenty four Ile de France lambs, from 15 to 32 kg of body weight (BW) were used. Treatments were: in natura sugarcane (IN), sugarcane hydrolyzed using 0.6% calcium oxide (CaO) under aerobic condition (AER), and sugarcane hydrolyzed using 0.6% CaO under anaerobic condition (ANA). Treatments were supplied to animals along with concentrate. Before slaughtering, the lambs were weighed and morphological measurements were taken. After slaughtering, carcasses were evaluated for weight, dressing, non-carcass components, as well as their morphological measurements and weight loss by cooling. A completely randomized design with three treatments and eight replicates was used and the means were compared by Tukey test at 5% of significance. Lambs fed hydrolyzed sugarcane in aerobic condition had higher leg length (32.21 cm) and lower rump height (55.23 cm) in vivo, whereas empty body weight (24.84 kg) was lower for lambs fed in natura sugarcane. No difference for the other variables was observed. Sugarcane hydrolyzed under aerobic and anaerobic conditions is not an important factor affecting the in vivo, neither the carcass measurements of the animals. The choice between supplying in natura or hydrolyzed sugarcane will depend on an economic analysis.