Fat and protein metabolism in growing steers fed either grass silage or dried grass

Abstract

Cattle fed grass silage diets have been reported to have high carcass fat:protein ratios. The effect of grass silage and dried grass diets, fed at different levels of intake to ensure a range of equivalent metabolisable energy intakes (MEI) from 1·1×metabolisable energy requirement for maintenance toad libitum, on fat and protein metabolism in twenty-four Hereford×Friesian steers was investigated. After about 84d of dietary treatment rates of whole-body fat and protein metabolism were measured, as were rates of lipogenesis in omental, perirenal and subcutaneous adipose tissue. Carcass composition was determined. Animals fed silage had greater (P<0·001) carcass fat:protein ratios than animals fed dried grass at equivalent levels of MEI. Animals fed silage had lower (P<0·001) rates of protein gain. Rates of leucine entry and oxidation were lower (P<0·001) in animals fed silage, but there was no dietary difference in the rate of whole-body protein synthesis. There was no dietary difference in the rate of carcass fat gain, but rates of lipogenesis in perirenal adipose tissue were significantly (P=0·007) higher in animals fed silage. There was no dietary difference in the rate of palmitate and glycerol entry or palmitate oxidation. There were no interactions between MEI and diet, indicating that increments of energy were utilised with the same efficiency from both diets. It was concluded that the high carcass fat:protein ratios of young growing steers was due to limited rates of protein accretion and not to elevated rates of carcass fat accretion.