Effects of fermented corn straw on growth performance,meat quality,rumen fermentation parameters,and serum indices in beef cattle

CHEN Weifeng; TAN Shanjie

doi:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2025.13.004

Abstract：The study aimed to investigate the effects of fermented corn straw on the growth performance,meat quality,rumen fermentation parameters,serum biochemical indices,and immune indices in beef cattle.A total of 160 beef cattle were randomly divided into four groups,each with five replicates and eight cattle per replicate.The control group was fed a basal diet(containing 50％corn straw),while groups Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ replaced 50％,25％,and 10％of the corn straw in the basal diet with fermented corn straw,respectively.The pre-test period was seven days and the formal test period was 60 days.The results showed that compared with the control group,the final weight and average daily gain of beef cattle in the experimental groups were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the feed to gain ratio was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the back fat thickness,net meat percentage,and pH24h value of muscle in the experimental groups were significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the cooking loss rate and shear force were significantly decreased(P＜0.05).The drip loss of muscle in groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the ammonia nitrogen content in rumen fluid of beef cattle in the experimental groups was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),and the total volatile fatty acids and microbial protein concentrations were significantly increased(P＜0.05).The content of propionic acid in rumen fluid of beef cattle in group Ⅰ was significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the content of acetic acid and acetate-to-propionate ratio were significantly decreased(P＜0.05).The content of serum urea nitrogen in group Ⅰ was significantly lower than in other groups(P＜0.05),while the concentrations of insulin growth factor and growth hormone were significantly higher than that in other groups(P＜0.05).The concentrations of immunoglobulin A,interferon-γ,and interleukin-2 in the serum of beef cattle in the experimental groups were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The concentrations of immunoglobulin G and interleukin-2 in group Ⅰ were significantly higher than those in groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ(P＜0.05).The study shows that replacing 50％of corn straw with fermented corn straw in the basal diet effectively improves growth performance,meat quality,rumen fermentation performance,serum biochemical indices and immune indices in beef cattle.