Growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of Hanwoo steers fed fermented liquid whey inoculated with lactic acid bacteria

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of liquid whey fermented with lactic acid bacteria on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat composition, fatty acid profile and meat oxidative stability of Korean Hanwoo steers. Twenty-four homogenous Hanwoo steers (22-monthsold) were randomly distributed into two dietary treatments with four replications of three steers per treatments. Basal diet was supplemented with 0.2% fermented liquid whey (FLW) and its effects were compared with those of a control. At the end of feeding trial, steers were slaughtered and graded for quality and yield factors by a trained carcass evaluator. Overall, dietary supplementation with 0.2% FLW increased the body weight, average daily gain and gain to feed ratio (P<0.05) of Hanwoo steers. None of the carcass characteristics were affected by dietary FLW. The ether extract and ash contents of loin eye meat were reduced, whereas the calcium and iron contents were increased in response to dietary FLW supplementation (P<0.05). At fresh state, the malondialdihyde (MDA) value of meat was reduced in response to FLW supplementation (P=0.003), whereas no difference was observed at week 1. During weeks 2 and 3, dietary FLW tended to reduce the MDA value of loin eye meat (P<0.10). Dietary supplementation with FLW increased the concentration of linoleic acid, sum of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and n-6 PUFAs (P<0.05). Overall, supplementation of diet with 0.2% FLW exerted beneficial effects on growth performance, meat composition and meat oxidative stability without affecting carcass characteristics, indicating that it can be used as a feed additive in finishing beef cattle.