Effects of a Mixture of Eugenol, Thymol and Malate on Growth Performance, Beef Quality and Liver Function in Hanwoo Finishing Steers Fed a High-Concentrate Diet

摘要

Thirty six Hanwoo steers (average BW, 564.5 ± 25.7 kg; average age, approximately 23 months) were used to evaluate the effects of a mixture of eugenol (14%), thymol (1%) and malate (85%) on growth performance, beef quality and liver function in Hanwoo finishing steers fed ahigh-concentrate diet. A feeding trial was conducted for 7 months in National Agricultural Cooperative Federation farm located in Anseong, Korea. Steers were assigned randomly to one of three treatments: control (without additivesupplementation), treatment 1(0.05%) additive of concentrate), treatment 2(0.1% additiveof concentrate). The results of this study showed that initial and final BW averaged 564 and 755 kg, respectively, and BW gain was significantly higher (P<0.05) for steers fed the additive mixture than for those fed no mixture (0.78 and 0.79 vs. 0.69 kg/d, respectively). Serum aspartate aminotransferase in the T2 treatment was decreased during the 24 to 31 months of age. Although supplementation of additives resultedin no substantial effect on carcass characteristics, it had a potential effect to improve feed efficiency and AST concentration in Hanwoo finishing steers fed a high-concentrate diet. In conclusion, a mixture of eugenol, thymol and malate has shown promise in improving feed efficiency and liver function in the finishing phase of Hanwoo steers.