Table 4.
Effects of cobalt concentration and source on carcass characteristics of finished steers
| Item | Carbonate | Acetate | Lactate | SEM | Contrasts, P < | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 30 | 60 | 30 | 60 | C vs O1 | A vs L2 | 30 vs 603 | ||
| n, head | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | ||||
| Replicates | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| Hot carcass, kg | 404.9 | 406.2 | 405.6 | 398.3 | 408.0 | 11.25 | 0.81 | 0.75 | 0.64 |
| Marbling score4 | 50.1 | 46.3 | 47.0 | 48.5 | 49.5 | 2.06 | 0.23 | 0.20 | 0.98 |
| USDA yield grade5 | 3.41 | 3.27 | 3.37 | 3.36 | 3.29 | 0.18 | 0.60 | 0.99 | 0.87 |
| Back fat, cm | 1.43 | 1.29 | 1.39 | 1.38 | 1.31 | 0.18 | 0.60 | 0.99 | 0.87 |
| Ribeye area, cm2 | 101.8 | 102.1 | 101.7 | 98.5 | 100.1 | 3.21 | 0.50 | 0.33 | 0.97 |
1Carbonate (inorganic) vs organic (acetate and lactate).
2Cobalt acetate vs. cobalt lactate.
3Cobalt feeding level of 30 mg/d vs. 60 mg/d.
4Marbling score: 10 = practically devoid, 30 = slight, 50 = modest, and 70 = slightly abundant.
5 USDA (2017).