Avaliação da Qualidade das carcaças de cordeiros alimentados com diferentes substratos alternativos da cultura do Abacaxi (Ananas comossus)

The experiment had the objective of evaluating the effect of different diets on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the carcass of Santa Inês lambs. Twenty-four male non castrated Santa Inés lambs,, with an average age of five months and an initial weight of 18.5 kg were used. The experiment was submitted to a fully randomized DIC design with eight replications (animals) and three treatments. The experimental phase was 63, 80.5 and 98 days for the animals fed with the following diets: more concentrated pineapple substrate hay (T2); more concentrated mixed silage corn-grass water (T3), and more concentrated water grass hay (T1),respectively. The results obtained were: the animals fed with the pineapple substrate hay and the mixed silage corn-grass water obtained the best weights of hot and cold carcass (14.16 kg and 13.7 kg: 13.21 kg and 13.01 kg , respectively). Regarding the true carcass yield, the pineapple substrate hay obtained a better result than the others. As for morphometric measurements and compactness of the carcass, there was no difference between the diets formulated. Regarding commercial cuts, the following results were found in percentage on the halfcarcass: T1- 8,86 % (neck); 19,27 % (palette); 26,79 % (rib); 11,61 % (loin) and 33,45 % (leg). T2 – 8,54 % (neck); 19,80 % (palette); 26,56 % (rib); 13,90 % (loin) and 31,18 % (leg). T3 – 8,56% (neck); 20,79% (palette); 25,61% (rib); 13,33% (loin) and 31,69% (leg), respectively. As for the qualitative characteristics of the carcass, the treatments did not present differences, except for the T2 that was less than the others in relation to the texture of the meat. The T2 results were higher than those found in the other treatments: T3 and T1 for the items: Daily Average Gain, Food Conversion, Warm Carcass Weight, Cold Carcass Weight and True Yield.