Effect of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) seed meal as a supplementing diet to free-ranging goats on growth performance and semen quality

Range forages consumed by free-range goats are commonly deficient in protein, energy and minerals resulting in low productivity of the goats. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of whole pumpkin seed meal supplementing diet on growth performance and semen quality of free-range goats. Thirty Malawian local bucks with an initial weight of 12.4±0.3 kg and age of 6 months were studied in completely randomised design. The treatments were: free-grazing with either supplementing diet of pumpkin seed meal or soybean meal and grazing only. The supplementing diets were mixed with maize bran to make them comparable. The supplementing diets were offered to goats (500 g each goat) before grazing (7:00 am) in individual pens followed by free graze for 7h. The experiment ran for 150 days. The measurements included: feed and refusals of the supplementing diet, live body weight, scrotal circumference and semen quality characteristics. The intake of supplementing diets was high in bucks consuming soybean supplementing diet than pumpkin seed meal supplementing diet (P = 0.0489). Bucks supplemented with either soybean or pumpkin seed meal had higher final weight and average daily gain (P < 0.05) than the non-supplemented goats. However, the final live body weight and average daily gain did not differ (P = 0.639) between goats on soybean and pumpkin seed meal supplementing diets. The bucks supplemented with pumpkin seed meal had the widest scrotal circumference (P < 0.05) of all the treatments studied. The bucks fed a supplementing diet containing pumpkin seed meal had higher semen pH (P < 0.05) than bucks on sole grazing group and soybean supplementing diet. Bucks on pumpkin seed supplementing diet had the greatest scores (P < 0.05) on total sperm motility and progressive motility; and sperm concentration followed by the bucks on soybean and the bucks on grazing only had the lowest score. The whole pumpkin seed meal could be used to improve productive performance and semen quality characteristics of free-ranging bucks

Carcass and meat quality attributes of Malawi Zebu steers fed Vachellia polyacantha leaves or Adansonia digitata seed as alternative protein sources to Glycine max

© South African Society for Animal Science. To enhance smallholder beef farmers' capacity to cope with animal feed shortages, especially dietary protein induced by climate change, it is important to evaluate the feeding value of low-cost protein sources naturally available in the environment. The aim of the study was to evaluate carcass and meat quality of Malawi Zebu steers fed diets containing Adansonia digitata (baobab) seed meal or Vachellia polyacantha (white thorn tree) leaf meal as alternative protein sources to Glycine max (soybean) under feedlot conditions. Thirty Malawi Zebu steers (181 ± 21.4 kg body weight; 29 months old) were individually fed forage-based diets made up of rangeland hay and maize bran, with either baobab seed meal, Vachellia leaf meal or soybean meal as a protein source for 120 days. At the end of the feeding trial, animals were slaughtered and the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle sampled for meat quality analyses. Steers fed soybean and baobab diets had higher subcutaneous fat thickness, carcass weights than those fed the Vachellia diet. Meat from steers fed the Vachellia and baobab diets had higher ultimate pH and water-holding capacity, and lower drip and cooking losses than meat from steers fed the soybean diet. Feeding baobab and Vachellia diets produced beef with lower lightness (L*) values than the soybean diet, characteristic of dark, firm and dry (DFD) beef. Steers fed the baobab diet had the highest gross profits followed by those fed the Vachellia and soybean diets, respectively. Overall, feeding the baobab and Vachellia diets improved gross profit but produced DFD beef compared to the soybean diet

Towards a regional beef carcass classification system for Southern Africa

Southern Africa is home to over 64 million cattle, of which 75% are raised on natural pasture in smallholder farming areas. Indigenous cattle breeds Bos indicus (zebu), B. taurus africanus (Sanga type) and their crosses with B. taurus (European and British) are the most dominant. Despite their dominance, indigenous cattle breeds in smallholder farming areas are commonly marketed through informal markets, and their contribution to formal national economies is therefore limited. This is partly because the current beef carcass grading and classification systems used in the region value inappropriately carcasses from slow-maturing indigenous cattle breeds that are ideally suited to being marketed offnatural pasture. The existing systems use carcass yield and quality attributes, but do not predict eating quality at consumer level. Moreover, the principal criteria used to estimate carcass yield and quality, namely age, fat cover and conformation, are assessed indirectly and subjectively. The objective of the current review is to provide an overview of beef carcass grading and classification systems in Southern Africa and analyse their shortcomings in valuing carcasses from indigenous breeds and local production systems. In addition, the review highlights opportunities for improving these systems in Southern Africa and makes suggestions towards developing a regional beef carcass classification system

Intake, digestibility, rumen protein synthesis, and growth performance of Malawi Zebu steers fed diets containing rangeland-based protein sources

© 2018, Springer Nature B.V. The study evaluated effects of feeding Malawi Zebu steers with diets containing baobab (Adansonia digitata) seed meal and white thorn tree (Vachellia polyacantha) leaf-meal as alternative protein sources to soybean meal on dry matter intake (DMI), total tract nutrient digestibility, rumen microbial nitrogen supply and growth performance. Thirty Malawi Zebu steers (181 ± 21.4 kg and 29 months), put into individual pens, were randomly assigned to three treatments (10 steers per treatment) made up of rangeland hay and maize bran with either baobab seed meal (baobab diet), V. polyacantha leaf-meal (Vachellia diet), or soybean meal (soybean diet, control) as the protein source. Steers fed the soybean and baobab diets had higher (P ≤ 0.05) DMI, final BW, average daily gain (ADG), and total tract nutrient digestibility of DM, NDF, CP and crude fat than those fed the Vachellia diet. Steers fed the soybean diet had the highest feed conversion ratio followed by those fed the baobab and Vachellia diets, respectively (P ≤ 0.05). Steers fed the baobab diet had the highest rumen microbial N followed by the soybean- and Vachellia-fed steers in that order (P ≤ 0.05). Steers fed the baobab diet had higher microbial N supply, comparable DMI, ADG, FCR, and nutrient digestibility to the soybean diet. The baobab seed meal could be an alternative protein source to the soybean meal for beef production in Malawi

Carcass and meat quality attributes of Malawi Zebu steers fed Vachellia polyacantha leaves or Adansonia digitata seed as alternative protein sources to Glycine max

To enhance smallholder beef farmers' capacity to cope with animal feed shortages, especially dietary protein induced by climate change, it is important to evaluate the feeding value of low-cost protein sources naturally available in the environment. The aim of the study was to evaluate carcass and meat quality of Malawi Zebu steers fed diets containing Adansonia digitata (baobab) seed meal or Vachellia polyacantha (white thorn tree) leaf meal as alternative protein sources to Glycine max (soybean) under feedlot conditions. Thirty Malawi Zebu steers (181 ± 21.4 kg body weight; 29 months old) were individually fed forage-based diets made up of rangeland hay and maize bran, with either baobab seed meal, Vachellia leaf meal or soybean meal as a protein source for 120 days. At the end of the feeding trial, animals were slaughtered and the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle sampled for meat quality analyses. Steers fed soybean and baobab diets had higher subcutaneous fat thickness, carcass weights than those fed the Vachellia diet. Meat from steers fed the Vachellia and baobab diets had higher ultimate pH and water-holding capacity, and lower drip and cooking losses than meat from steers fed the soybean diet. Feeding baobab and Vachellia diets produced beef with lower lightness (L*) values than the soybean diet, characteristic of dark, firm and dry (DFD) beef. Steers fed the baobab diet had the highest gross profits followed by those fed the Vachellia and soybean diets, respectively. Overall, feeding the baobab and Vachellia diets improved gross profit but produced DFD beef compared to the soybean diet