Avaliação sensorial da carne de bovinos terminados em confinamento ou intensivamente em pastagens com diferentes aditivos

Abstract

In Brazil, beef production depends mainly on the slaughter of animals raised on pasture. Strategies such as supplementation during drought and confinement in the final phase have been adopted to improve meat productivity and quality. The use of essential oils as an alternative to antibiotics in animal feed has been studied, showing antimicrobial properties and positive impacts on ruminal improvement and beef quality, especially oregano essential oil (Origanum vulgare). Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the sensory characteristics of meat from cattle feedlot finished or intensive pasture with the addition of monensin or non-concentrated oregano essential oil. It was used to evaluate meat samples from heifers with an initial age and average weight of approximately 17 months and 250 kg, with new animals per treatment that were prepared in two absorption systems concentrated at a proportion of 1.5% of live weight. (PV) of natural matter. The treatments were Confinement finishing + monensin (280 mg.kg -1 DM); Finishing in confinement + OEO (6 g.animal -1 day - 1 ); Termination in TIP + monensin (280 mg.kg -1 DM) and Termination in TIP + OEO. (6 g.animal -1 diameter). The total period of the experiment was 114 days, with the initial 10 days of adaptation. 63 untrained evaluators were recruited, 39 women and 24 men (aged between 18 and 53 years). The design was a completely randomized design (DIC) with a 2 x 2 factorial structure, where the factors were production system and additive use, with nine replications (animals) per treatment. PROC MIXED from SAS (Statistical Analysis System) was used. Treatment media were obtained using the LSMEANS command. To compare means, the Tukey test was used with a significance level of α=0.05. When carrying out the evaluation of the consumer's sensory panel, no interaction effect (p>0.05) between the confinement systems or TIP and the additives used was selected. When evaluating the factors separately, no significant difference (P>0.05) was found for any of the variables evaluated in this work. Despite the animals being raised in different systems, consumers report similarities between the treatments. When associating the sex of those evaluated with their sensory evaluation responses, there was a significant effect (P>0.05) for the aroma and color variables. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) for the variables flavor, juiciness and tenderness. The intensive finishing of animals in confinement or on pasture using the additives monensin or oregano essential oil did not affect the sensory characteristics of color, juiciness, tenderness, aroma and flavor of Nelore heifer meat. When confirming the sensorial and physical-chemical evaluation of meat quality and the association between the sex of the evaluators and their sensory evaluation responses, it is shown that women have a tendency to give a higher score than men in color and color variations aroma.