PSXV-24 - Effects of dietary beet pulp on growth performance, beef quality, rumen fermentation characteristics, and blood parameters in Korean cattle steers

We investigated the effects of feeding beet pulp (BP) instead of corn flake (CF) on growth performance, beef quality, ruminal fermentation, and blood parameters in Korean cattle steers. Eighteen Korean cattle steers (body weight, 732 ± 12.6 kg; age, 31.2 ± 0.16 months) were divided into the CF and BP groups. The approximately 92% of dry matter of the requirement was offered as a concentrate portion, and the 8% was offered as an oat straw. The 85% of concentrate portion was provided by the pelleted basal concentrate, and the remaining 15% with CF or BP for 12 weeks. Average daily gain, feed efficiency, and carcass traits were not affected by feeding BP. The proportion of ruminal iso-butyrate (P = 0.004), iso-valerate (P = 0.001), and valerate (P = 0.01) were lower in the BP group compared to the CF group. Blood glucose (P = 0.06) and non-esterified fatty acids (P = 0.09) concentrations tended to be higher in the BP group than in the CF group. The results suggest that BP could be a good energy source without affecting the growth performance and beef quality in Korean cattle steers.