Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Wilson, Kristopher Ray
Author's Email Address	k.wilson@ttu.edu
URN	etd-11022006-093715
Title	Effects of hydroxy methyl-thio buanoic acid (Alimet) on performance and carcass characteristics of finishing beef cattle and on fermendation in a contiuous culture system
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Animal and Food Sciences
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Michael L. Galyean Committee Chair David B. Wester Committee Member Robert C. Albin Committee Member Samuel P. Jackson Committee Member
Keywords	carcass fermentation HMB finishing cattle alimet
Date of Defense	2006-07-18
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding graded levels of hydroxy methyl-thio butanoic acid (HMB); (Alimet; Novus Int., Inc., St. Louis, MO) on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of finishing beef steers and on fermentation in a continuous-culture system. In Exp. 1, 160 steers (average BW; 384.9 kg; SD = 26.9 kg ) were blocked by body weight (BW) into eight blocks and assigned to four dietary treatments in a randomized complete block experimental design. The following four diets were fed, 1) Control, (0% Alimet); 2) 0.069% Alimet; 3) 0.137% Alimet and 4) 0.204% Alimet. Final BW decreased linearly (P = 0.069), adjusted final BW decreased linearly (P = 0.063) and average daily gain decreased linearly (P = 0.099) as the percentage of Alimet in the diet increased. No significant (P > 0.10) linear or quadratic effects of Alimet dose were noted for any of the carcass measurements collected in this study In Exp. 2, 80 steers (average BW 431.5 kg; SD = 42.2 kg) were blocked by BW into eight blocks and assigned to two dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. Treatment diets were a Control (0 % Alimet) and an Alimet diet, with increasing concentrations of Alimet until 15 g/steer daily was achieved. Dry matter intake in the Alimet group tended (P = 0.132) to differ from intake than Controls. Gain:feed ratio was less (P = 0.046) with Alimet added to the diet than for Control for the d 0 to 56 period. No differences were detected in carcass measurements between the two treatments. A continuous culture system was used to determine the effects of Alimet on ruminal fermentation in Exp. 3 in two dietary treatments: Control (0% Alimet) and Alimet (0.24% Alimet). No ruminal digestibility, pH, ammonia, or fatty acid differences where were detected in Exp. 3; however, the molar proportion of valerate was greater (P = 0.05) for Control vs. Alimet. There also was a trend (P = 0.12) for a greater acetate:propionate ratio for the Control cultures. Results suggest that Alimet has the potential to be used as an intake limiting/control agent for use with finishing beef cattle fed high-concentrate diets based on steam-flaked corn. However, a better understanding of the cause for decreased DMI by finishing beef cattle fed Alimet is needed.
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