Two finishing experiments were conducted to evaluate Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn containing an alpha amylase enzyme trait compared to the near negative isoline control corn at two locations on cattle performance and carcass characteristics. No statistical differences were observed for final BW, DMI, ADG, or F:G for steers fed Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn versus the near negative isoline control corn. Fat depth and calculated yield grade were greater for steers fed Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn; however, HCW and marbling scores were not different. Previous research has observed a 2.6% to 16.4% decrease in F:G when Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn was fed; however, under this study a 1.6% reduction in F:G was observed

Bittner, Curtis J.

Erickson, Galen E.

Hilscher, F. Henry, Hilscher

Jolly-Breithaupt, Melissa L.

Luebbe, Matt K.

MacDonald, James C.

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnNebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department2018Impact of Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn onFinishing Cattle Performance and CarcassCharacteristicsMelissa L. Jolly-BreithauptUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, melissa_jolly_brethaupt@unl.eduCurtis J. BittnerUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, curtis.bittner@unl.eduF. Henry Hilscher HilscherUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, henry.hilscher@unl.eduGalen E. EricksonUniversity of Nebraska - Lincoln, gerickson4@unl.eduJames C. MacDonaldUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, jmacdonald2@unl.eduSee next page for additional authorsFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcrPart of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, andthe Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.Jolly-Breithaupt, Melissa L.; Bittner, Curtis J.; Hilscher, F. Henry Hilscher; Erickson, Galen E.; MacDonald, James C.; and Luebbe,Matt K., "Impact of Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn on Finishing Cattle Performance and Carcass Characteristics" (2018). Nebraska BeefCattle Reports. 976.http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/976AuthorsMelissa L. Jolly-Breithaupt, Curtis J. Bittner, F. Henry Hilscher Hilscher, Galen E. Erickson, James C.MacDonald, and Matt K. LuebbeThis article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/97692 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report©  The Board Regents of the University of  Nebraska. All rights reserved.finishing trial at the UNL Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center (ENREC) feedlot near Mead, NE. All corn [SYT- EFC and near negative isoline parental control corn (NEG) seed from Syngenta Seeds, LLC] was grown during the summer of 2015 at ENREC, harvested in November 2015, and processed as DRC at time of feeding. Cattle were limit fed a diet at 2% of BW for 5 d prior to the start of the experiment. Two- day initial weights were recorded on d 0 and 1 which were averaged and used as the initial BW. The steers were blocked by BW into two weight blocks, light and heavy, (n = 10 and 5 pen replicates, respec-tively) based on d 0 BW, stratified by BW within block and assigned randomly to 1 of 30 pens. Pen was assigned randomly to treatment. There were 10 steers/pen and 15 and starch digestibility. In these experi-ments, there was a decrease in F:G and an increase in postruminal starch digestibility when SYT- EFC was fed as dry- rolled corn (DRC) compared to cattle fed corn not containing the α- amylase enzyme trait (2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 135; 2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 139; 2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 143). However, the increased response has been variable warranting the need for a large, well- replicated trial. There-fore, the objective of this experiment was to determine the feeding value of SYT- EFC when processed as DRC.ProcedureThree hundred crossbred steers (initial BW = 703 lb, ± 43) were utilized in a Melissa L. Jolly- BreithauptCurt J. BittnerFred H. HilscherGalen E. EricksonJames C. MacDonaldMatt K. LuebbeSummary with ImplicationsTwo finishing experiments were conduct-ed to evaluate Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn containing an alpha amylase enzyme trait compared to the near negative isoline control corn at two locations on cattle performance and carcass characteristics. No statistical differences were observed for final BW, DMI, ADG, or F:G for steers fed Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn versus the near negative isoline control corn. Fat depth and calculated yield grade were greater for steers fed Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn; however, HCW and marbling scores were not different. Previ-ous research has observed a 2.6% to 16.4% decrease in F:G when Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn was fed; however, under this study a 1.6% reduction in F:G was observed.IntroductionStarch digestion occurs in the rumen by bacterial fermentation or by pancre-atic α- amylase secretion into the small intestine. The absorption of glucose by the small intestine is energetically more efficient. However, high- starch diets have been shown to be limited in pancreatic α- amylase concentration and/or secretion which can limit intestinal starch digestion of dry- rolled corn. Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn (SYT- EFC; Syngenta Seeds, LLC) has been genetically enhanced to contain an α- amylase enzyme trait that may increase postruminal starch digestion, resulting in improved animal performance. Four previ-ous experiments have evaluated the impact of feeding SYT- EFC on cattle performance Impact of Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn on Finishing  Cattle Performance and Carcass CharacteristicsTable 1. Dietary treatments evaluating Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn and Near Negative Isoline Paren-tal Control CornIngredient, % DM NEG1 SYT- EFC2NEG1 66.0 - SYT- EFC2 - 66.0DGS3 18.0 18.0Corn silage 12.0 12.0Meal supplement (ENREC) 4 4.0 4.0Fine ground corn 1.2362 1.2362Limestone 1.689 1.689Urea 0.5 0.5Salt 0.3 0.3Tallow 0.10 0.10Trace mineral premix 0.05 0.05Potassium chloride 0.083 0.083Rumensin- 90 0.0165 0.0165Vitamin ADE premix 0.015 0.015Tylan- 40 0.0102 0.0102Liquid Supplement (PHREC)5,6 6.0 6.01NEG: Near negative isoline parental control corn2SYT- EFC: Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn containing α- amylase enzyme3DGS: Distillers grains plus solubles4Meal Supplement fed at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center5Liquid Supplement fed at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center6Supplement formulated to provide a dietary DM inclusion of 1.34% limestone, 0.5% urea, 0.3% salt, 0.2% potassium chloride, 30 mg/kg Zn, 50 mg/kg Fe, 10 mg/kg Cu, 20 mg/kg Mn, 0.1mg/kg Co, 0.5 mg/kg I, 0.1 mg/kg Se, 1000 IU of vitamin A, 125 IU of vitamin D, 1.5 IU of vitamin E.2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 93 gan, CO) on d 181. Carcass data collection procedures and calculations were the same as previously described.Overall, 600 steers were utilized among the two locations to provide a total of 30 replications per treatment. Performance and carcass characteristic data were ana-lyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS as a generalized randomized block design with pen as the experimental unit. Liver abscess incidence data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS with the number of animals affected by liver abscess-es divided by the total number of animals within the pen as binomial variables. The effect of location, treatment, and location × treatment were all included in the model with BW block as a fixed variable. If the location × treatment interaction was not significant (P ≥ 0.05), main effects were discussed and the interaction term was removed from the model.ResultsThere were no treatment by location interactions (P ≥ 0.30) observed for initial BW, final BW, DMI, ADG, F:G, and liver abscess percentage (data not shown). No significant differences in final BW, DMI, ADG, F:G, or liver abscess percentage were observed for steers fed SYT- EFC compared to NEG (P ≥ 0.17; Table 2). A small (2% due to grain) numerical decrease (P = 0.17) in F:G was observed for steers fed SYT- EFC compared to NEG. A location effect (P ≤ 0.03) was observed for final BW, DMI, ADG, and F:G with steers fed at PREC having greater final BW, DMI, ADG, and decreased F:G compared to ENREC (data not shown). Previous research has shown small positive results in cattle performance with steers fed SYT- EFC processed as DRC. Overall, greater ADG and improvements in F:G have been reported in steers fed SYT- EFC compared to commercial corn or NEG (2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 135; 2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 143).Fat depth and calculated YG were greater (P < 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively) for steers fed SYT- EFC compared to NEG; however LM area was slightly greater (P = 0.02) for NEG. Previous research has reported either an increase in fat depth (P ≤ 0.03) and calculated YG (P ≤ 0.03; 2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 135) or no Yield grade was calculated using the USDA YG equation [YG = 2.5 + 2.5 (fat thickness, in)– 0.32 (LM area, in2) + 0.2 (KPH fat, %) + 0.0038 (HCW, lb)]. Final BW, ADG, and F:G were calculated using HCW adjusted to a common 63% dressing percentage.Three hundred crossbred steers (initial BW = 624 lb, ± 34) were utilized in a fin-ishing trial at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center (PREC) feedlot near Scottsbluff, NE. All corn utilized was grown at the ENREC and shipped to the PREC during the trial. Initial BW proto-cols, BW blocking, treatment assignment, number of steers per pen, and replications per treatment were the same as previously described at ENREC. Steers were adapted to the finishing diets over a 21- d period with corn replacing alfalfa hay, while inclusion of corn silage, wet distillers grain plus solubles (WDGS), and supplement remained the same in all diets. Dietary treatments were the same as ENREC with the exception of WDGS in place of MDGS and the inclu-sion of supplement at 6% instead of 4% of the diet DM. Steers were implanted with Component IS (Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) on d 1 and Component S (Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) on d 91. Steers were harvested at a commercial abattoir (Cargill Meat Solutions, Fort Mor-replications/treatment. Dietary treatments included 1) SYT- EFC and 2) Near negative isoline parental control (NEG; Table 1). Steers were adapted to the finishing diets over a 21- d period with corn replacing alfal-fa hay, while inclusion of corn silage, mod-ified distillers grain plus solubles (MDGS), and supplement remained the same in all diets. Diets were formulated to meet or exceed NRC requirements for protein and minerals. The final finishing diets provided 330 mg/steer daily of Rumensin (30 g/ton of DM; Elanco Animal Health, Green-field, IN), and 90 mg/steer daily of Tylan (8.2 g/ton of DM; Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN). Steers were implanted with Component IS (Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) on d 22 and Component S (Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) on d 92.On d 169, feed was offered at 50% of the previous day DMI and cattle were weighed at 1500 h to determine final live BW. A 4% pencil shrink was applied to the final live BW to calculate dressing percentage. All steers were harvested at a commercial abat-toir (Greater Omaha, Omaha, NE) on d 170 and hot carcass weights (HCW) and liver scores were recorded on the d of slaughter. Fat thickness, LM area, and USDA mar-bling score were recorded after a 48- h chill. Table 2. Effect of corn hybrid on finishing performance and carcass characteristicsItemDietary Treatments1SEMP- ValuesNEG SYT- EFC Trt LocationAnimal PerformanceInitial BW, lb  669  668 0.5 0.13 < 0.01Final BW, lb2  1351  1350 4.9 0.88  0.03DMI, lb/d  22.8  22.6 0.13 0.19 < 0.01ADG, lb2 3.90 3.90  0.03 0.99 < 0.01F:G2,3 5.85 5.79 - 0.17 < 0.01Carcass CharacteristicsHCW, lbs  852  852 3.1 0.88  0.03Marbling Score4  470  486  12 0.33  0.34Fat Depth, in  0.53  0.56  0.01  < 0.01  0.79LM Area, in2  13.2  13.0  0.07 0.02  0.44Calculated Yield Grade5 3.24 3.49  0.08 0.02  0.23Liver Abscess, % 8.60 6.03  2.33 0.25  0.811Dietary treatments: NEG = Near negative isoline parental control corn; SYT- EFC = Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn containing alpha amylase enzyme2Calculated from HCW adjusted to a common 63% pressing percentage.3Analyzed as G:F, the reciprocal of F:G.4Marbling Score: 300=Slight00, 400= Small00.5Calculated as 2.5 + (2.5 x 12th rib fat) + (0.2 x 2.0 [KPH]) + (0.0038 x HCW)– (0.32 x LM area).94 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Reportmain source of dietary corn grain. However, results from this trial would suggest that there is no significant change in F:G by feeding the Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn hybrid containing an alpha amylase enzyme trait as the response was too small to detect. The change in F:G was only 1% due to diet, which is assumed to be only 1.6% due to corn grain (65% of the diet, average between ENREC and PREC).Melissa L. Jolly- Breithaupt, research tech-nicianCurt J. Bittner, research technicianF. Henry Hilscher, research technicianGalen E. Erickson, professor, Animal Science, LincolnJames C. MacDonald, associate professor, Animal Science, Lincoln, NEMatt K. Luebbe, associate professor, Animal Science, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Scottsbluff, NEdifference (P ≤ 0.22 and P ≤ 0.17, respec-tively; 2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 135; 2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 143) when steers were fed SYT- EFC. No significant differences by treatment were observed for HCW or marbling score (P ≥ 0.33). Pre-vious research has reported mixed results for marbling score of steers fed SYT- EFC compared to commercial corn or NEG ei-ther observing an increase (2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 135) or no difference (2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 143). Differences in cattle response between previous trials and this current trial could be attributed to growing conditions of the corn resulting in a year effect.ConclusionIn conclusion, previous finishing trials have observed a 2.6% to 16.4% reduction in F:G when SYT- EFC has been fed as the 

Impact of Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn on Finishing Cattle Performance and Carcass Characteristics

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department
2018
Impact of Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn on
Finishing Cattle Performance and Carcass
Characteristics
Melissa L. Jolly-Breithaupt
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, melissa_jolly_brethaupt@unl.edu
Curtis J. Bittner
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, curtis.bittner@unl.edu
F. Henry Hilscher Hilscher
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, henry.hilscher@unl.edu
Galen E. Erickson
University of Nebraska - Lincoln, gerickson4@unl.edu
James C. MacDonald
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, jmacdonald2@unl.edu
See next page for additional authors
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr
Part of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, and
the Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Jolly-Breithaupt, Melissa L.; Bittner, Curtis J.; Hilscher, F. Henry Hilscher; Erickson, Galen E.; MacDonald, James C.; and Luebbe,
Matt K., "Impact of Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn on Finishing Cattle Performance and Carcass Characteristics" (2018). Nebraska Beef
Cattle Reports. 976.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/976
Authors
Melissa L. Jolly-Breithaupt, Curtis J. Bittner, F. Henry Hilscher Hilscher, Galen E. Erickson, James C.
MacDonald, and Matt K. Luebbe
This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/976
92 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report
©  The Board Regents of the University of  
Nebraska. All rights reserved.
finishing trial at the UNL Eastern Nebraska 
Research and Extension Center (ENREC) 
feedlot near Mead, NE. All corn [SYT- EFC 
and near negative isoline parental control 
corn (NEG) seed from Syngenta Seeds, 
LLC] was grown during the summer of 2015 
at ENREC, harvested in November 2015, 
and processed as DRC at time of feeding. 
Cattle were limit fed a diet at 2% of BW 
for 5 d prior to the start of the experiment. 
Two- day initial weights were recorded on 
d 0 and 1 which were averaged and used 
as the initial BW. The steers were blocked 
by BW into two weight blocks, light and 
heavy, (n = 10 and 5 pen replicates, respec-
tively) based on d 0 BW, stratified by BW 
within block and assigned randomly to 1 
of 30 pens. Pen was assigned randomly to 
treatment. There were 10 steers/pen and 15 
and starch digestibility. In these experi-
ments, there was a decrease in F:G and an 
increase in postruminal starch digestibility 
when SYT- EFC was fed as dry- rolled corn 
(DRC) compared to cattle fed corn not 
containing the α- amylase enzyme trait 
(2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 135; 2016 
Nebraska Beef Report pp. 139; 2016 Nebraska 
Beef Report pp. 143). However, the increased 
response has been variable warranting the 
need for a large, well- replicated trial. There-
fore, the objective of this experiment was 
to determine the feeding value of SYT- EFC 
when processed as DRC.
Procedure
Three hundred crossbred steers (initial 
BW = 703 lb, ± 43) were utilized in a 
Melissa L. Jolly- Breithaupt
Curt J. Bittner
Fred H. Hilscher
Galen E. Erickson
James C. MacDonald
Matt K. Luebbe
Summary with Implications
Two finishing experiments were conduct-
ed to evaluate Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn 
containing an alpha amylase enzyme trait 
compared to the near negative isoline control 
corn at two locations on cattle performance 
and carcass characteristics. No statistical 
differences were observed for final BW, DMI, 
ADG, or F:G for steers fed Syngenta Enogen 
Feed Corn versus the near negative isoline 
control corn. Fat depth and calculated yield 
grade were greater for steers fed Syngenta 
Enogen Feed Corn; however, HCW and 
marbling scores were not different. Previ-
ous research has observed a 2.6% to 16.4% 
decrease in F:G when Syngenta Enogen Feed 
Corn was fed; however, under this study a 
1.6% reduction in F:G was observed.
Introduction
Starch digestion occurs in the rumen 
by bacterial fermentation or by pancre-
atic α- amylase secretion into the small 
intestine. The absorption of glucose by 
the small intestine is energetically more 
efficient. However, high- starch diets have 
been shown to be limited in pancreatic 
α- amylase concentration and/or secretion 
which can limit intestinal starch digestion 
of dry- rolled corn. Syngenta Enogen Feed 
Corn (SYT- EFC; Syngenta Seeds, LLC) has 
been genetically enhanced to contain an 
α- amylase enzyme trait that may increase 
postruminal starch digestion, resulting in 
improved animal performance. Four previ-
ous experiments have evaluated the impact 
of feeding SYT- EFC on cattle performance 
Impact of Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn on Finishing  
Cattle Performance and Carcass Characteristics
Table 1. Dietary treatments evaluating Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn and Near Negative Isoline Paren-
tal Control Corn
Ingredient, % DM NEG1 SYT- EFC2
NEG1 66.0 - 
SYT- EFC2 - 66.0
DGS3 18.0 18.0
Corn silage 12.0 12.0
Meal supplement (ENREC) 4 4.0 4.0
Fine ground corn 1.2362 1.2362
Limestone 1.689 1.689
Urea 0.5 0.5
Salt 0.3 0.3
Tallow 0.10 0.10
Trace mineral premix 0.05 0.05
Potassium chloride 0.083 0.083
Rumensin- 90 0.0165 0.0165
Vitamin ADE premix 0.015 0.015
Tylan- 40 0.0102 0.0102
Liquid Supplement (PHREC)5,6 6.0 6.0
1NEG: Near negative isoline parental control corn
2SYT- EFC: Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn containing α- amylase enzyme
3DGS: Distillers grains plus solubles
4Meal Supplement fed at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center
5Liquid Supplement fed at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center
6Supplement formulated to provide a dietary DM inclusion of 1.34% limestone, 0.5% urea, 0.3% salt, 0.2% potassium chloride, 30 
mg/kg Zn, 50 mg/kg Fe, 10 mg/kg Cu, 20 mg/kg Mn, 0.1mg/kg Co, 0.5 mg/kg I, 0.1 mg/kg Se, 1000 IU of vitamin A, 125 IU of 
vitamin D, 1.5 IU of vitamin E.
2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 93 
gan, CO) on d 181. Carcass data collection 
procedures and calculations were the same 
as previously described.
Overall, 600 steers were utilized among 
the two locations to provide a total of 30 
replications per treatment. Performance 
and carcass characteristic data were ana-
lyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS 
as a generalized randomized block design 
with pen as the experimental unit. Liver 
abscess incidence data were analyzed using 
the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS with the 
number of animals affected by liver abscess-
es divided by the total number of animals 
within the pen as binomial variables. The 
effect of location, treatment, and location 
× treatment were all included in the model 
with BW block as a fixed variable. If the 
location × treatment interaction was not 
significant (P ≥ 0.05), main effects were 
discussed and the interaction term was 
removed from the model.
Results
There were no treatment by location 
interactions (P ≥ 0.30) observed for initial 
BW, final BW, DMI, ADG, F:G, and liver 
abscess percentage (data not shown). No 
significant differences in final BW, DMI, 
ADG, F:G, or liver abscess percentage were 
observed for steers fed SYT- EFC compared 
to NEG (P ≥ 0.17; Table 2). A small (2% due 
to grain) numerical decrease (P = 0.17) in 
F:G was observed for steers fed SYT- EFC 
compared to NEG. A location effect (P 
≤ 0.03) was observed for final BW, DMI, 
ADG, and F:G with steers fed at PREC 
having greater final BW, DMI, ADG, and 
decreased F:G compared to ENREC (data 
not shown). Previous research has shown 
small positive results in cattle performance 
with steers fed SYT- EFC processed as DRC. 
Overall, greater ADG and improvements in 
F:G have been reported in steers fed SYT- 
EFC compared to commercial corn or NEG 
(2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 135; 2016 
Nebraska Beef Report pp. 143).
Fat depth and calculated YG were 
greater (P < 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively) 
for steers fed SYT- EFC compared to NEG; 
however LM area was slightly greater (P 
= 0.02) for NEG. Previous research has 
reported either an increase in fat depth 
(P ≤ 0.03) and calculated YG (P ≤ 0.03; 
2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 135) or no 
Yield grade was calculated using the USDA 
YG equation [YG = 2.5 + 2.5 (fat thickness, 
in)– 0.32 (LM area, in2) + 0.2 (KPH fat, %) 
+ 0.0038 (HCW, lb)]. Final BW, ADG, and 
F:G were calculated using HCW adjusted to 
a common 63% dressing percentage.
Three hundred crossbred steers (initial 
BW = 624 lb, ± 34) were utilized in a fin-
ishing trial at the UNL Panhandle Research 
and Extension Center (PREC) feedlot 
near Scottsbluff, NE. All corn utilized was 
grown at the ENREC and shipped to the 
PREC during the trial. Initial BW proto-
cols, BW blocking, treatment assignment, 
number of steers per pen, and replications 
per treatment were the same as previously 
described at ENREC. Steers were adapted to 
the finishing diets over a 21- d period with 
corn replacing alfalfa hay, while inclusion of 
corn silage, wet distillers grain plus solubles 
(WDGS), and supplement remained the 
same in all diets. Dietary treatments were 
the same as ENREC with the exception of 
WDGS in place of MDGS and the inclu-
sion of supplement at 6% instead of 4% of 
the diet DM. Steers were implanted with 
Component IS (Elanco Animal Health, 
Greenfield, IN) on d 1 and Component S 
(Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) on 
d 91. Steers were harvested at a commercial 
abattoir (Cargill Meat Solutions, Fort Mor-
replications/treatment. Dietary treatments 
included 1) SYT- EFC and 2) Near negative 
isoline parental control (NEG; Table 1). 
Steers were adapted to the finishing diets 
over a 21- d period with corn replacing alfal-
fa hay, while inclusion of corn silage, mod-
ified distillers grain plus solubles (MDGS), 
and supplement remained the same in all 
diets. Diets were formulated to meet or 
exceed NRC requirements for protein and 
minerals. The final finishing diets provided 
330 mg/steer daily of Rumensin (30 g/ton 
of DM; Elanco Animal Health, Green-
field, IN), and 90 mg/steer daily of Tylan 
(8.2 g/ton of DM; Elanco Animal Health, 
Greenfield, IN). Steers were implanted with 
Component IS (Elanco Animal Health, 
Greenfield, IN) on d 22 and Component S 
(Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) on 
d 92.
On d 169, feed was offered at 50% of the 
previous day DMI and cattle were weighed 
at 1500 h to determine final live BW. A 4% 
pencil shrink was applied to the final live 
BW to calculate dressing percentage. All 
steers were harvested at a commercial abat-
toir (Greater Omaha, Omaha, NE) on d 170 
and hot carcass weights (HCW) and liver 
scores were recorded on the d of slaughter. 
Fat thickness, LM area, and USDA mar-
bling score were recorded after a 48- h chill. 
Table 2. Effect of corn hybrid on finishing performance and carcass characteristics
Item
Dietary Treatments1
SEM
P- Values
NEG SYT- EFC Trt Location
Animal Performance
Initial BW, lb  669  668 0.5 0.13 < 0.01
Final BW, lb2  1351  1350 4.9 0.88  0.03
DMI, lb/d  22.8  22.6 0.13 0.19 < 0.01
ADG, lb2 3.90 3.90  0.03 0.99 < 0.01
F:G2,3 5.85 5.79 - 0.17 < 0.01
Carcass Characteristics
HCW, lbs  852  852 3.1 0.88  0.03
Marbling Score4  470  486  12 0.33  0.34
Fat Depth, in  0.53  0.56  0.01  < 0.01  0.79
LM Area, in2  13.2  13.0  0.07 0.02  0.44
Calculated Yield Grade5 3.24 3.49  0.08 0.02  0.23
Liver Abscess, % 8.60 6.03  2.33 0.25  0.81
1Dietary treatments: NEG = Near negative isoline parental control corn; SYT- EFC = Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn containing 
alpha amylase enzyme
2Calculated from HCW adjusted to a common 63% pressing percentage.
3Analyzed as G:F, the reciprocal of F:G.
4Marbling Score: 300=Slight00, 400= Small00.
5Calculated as 2.5 + (2.5 x 12th rib fat) + (0.2 x 2.0 [KPH]) + (0.0038 x HCW)– (0.32 x LM area).
94 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report
main source of dietary corn grain. However, 
results from this trial would suggest that 
there is no significant change in F:G by 
feeding the Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn 
hybrid containing an alpha amylase enzyme 
trait as the response was too small to 
detect. The change in F:G was only 1% due 
to diet, which is assumed to be only 1.6% 
due to corn grain (65% of the diet, average 
between ENREC and PREC).
Melissa L. Jolly- Breithaupt, research tech-
nician
Curt J. Bittner, research technician
F. Henry Hilscher, research technician
Galen E. Erickson, professor, Animal 
Science, Lincoln
James C. MacDonald, associate professor, 
Animal Science, Lincoln, NE
Matt K. Luebbe, associate professor, Animal 
Science, Panhandle Research and Extension 
Center, Scottsbluff, NE
difference (P ≤ 0.22 and P ≤ 0.17, respec-
tively; 2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 135; 
2016 Nebraska Beef Report pp. 143) when 
steers were fed SYT- EFC. No significant 
differences by treatment were observed for 
HCW or marbling score (P ≥ 0.33). Pre-
vious research has reported mixed results 
for marbling score of steers fed SYT- EFC 
compared to commercial corn or NEG ei-
ther observing an increase (2016 Nebraska 
Beef Report pp. 135) or no difference (2016 
Nebraska Beef Report pp. 143). Differences 
in cattle response between previous trials 
and this current trial could be attributed to 
growing conditions of the corn resulting in 
a year effect.
Conclusion
In conclusion, previous finishing trials 
have observed a 2.6% to 16.4% reduction 
in F:G when SYT- EFC has been fed as the 


https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2003&amp;context=animalscinbcr

Impact of Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn on Finishing Cattle Performance and Carcass Characteristics

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