R. Bras. Zootec.13/ago/2025;54:e20240130.
Licuri cake as an alternative feed for young Nellore bulls replacing soybean meal and ground corn
Lucas Feitosa Silva
, Vinicius da Silva Oliveira
, Ricardo Wagner Dias Portela
, Ana Alice Lima de Gouvêa
, Thadeu Mariniello Silva
, Anny Graycy Vasconcelos de Oliveira Lima
, Thiago Vinicius Costa Nascimento
, Leilson Rocha Bezerra
, Ronaldo Lopes Oliveira
, Jarbas Miguel da Silva Júnior
, Analívia Martins Barbosa
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of total replacement of soybean meal and partial replacement of ground corn with licuri cake (LC) in the diet of young Nellore bulls on feed intake, ingestive behavior, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance, microbial protein synthesis, animal performance, carcass traits and economic efficiency, including marginal costs and returns. Thirty-two 16-month-old Nellore bulls (346 ± 32.5 kg body weight) were individually evaluated in a completely randomized experimental design with four treatments (0, 7, 14, and 21% dry matter [DM]) and eight replications. The animals were feedlot-finished for 84 days, fed a diet consisting of 60% Tifton-85 hay as roughage and 40% concentrate mixture. The concentrate included ground corn, soybean meal, urea, ammonium sulfate, and mineral mixture. The inclusion of LC in the bulls’ diets linearly reduced (P<0.05) the intake of DM, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total digestible nutrients (TDN), and nitrogen, as well as fecal N, urinary N excretion, and N retention. On the other hand, LC inclusion quadratically increased (P<0.05) ether extract (EE) intake and microbial protein synthesis. In addition, there was a linear increase (P<0.05) in the digestibility of CP, EE, and NDF, as well as in the percentage of bone, muscle, and muscle tissue:fat tissue ratio in the young bulls. In contrast, animal performance, hot and cold carcass weights, fat tissue content, diet cost, and financial returns linearly decreased (P<0.05). Based on the levels tested, the inclusion of LC in bulls’ diets is not recommended, as it reduces feed intake, performance, and overall financial profitability of the activity.
Palavras-chave: alternative protein; byproduct; microbial efficiency; Syagrus coronata