Table 4.

Carcass and ultrasound data of Bos taurus indicus bulls administered or not Megasphaera elsdenii (Lactipro-NXT; 1 × 10¹⁰CFU/head; MS Biotec, Wamego, KS) and offered an adaptation diet for 14, 6, or 0 d^1,2

Item	Treatments				SEM	P =3
	CONT	MEG-14	MEG-6	MEG-0		CONT vs. MEG	L	Q
Carcass traits
Hot carcass weight, kg	324.7	324.3	324.2	321.0	5.17	0.51	0.24	0.51
Dressing percent, %	56.6	56.8	56.7	56.6	0.25	0.61	0.44	0.98
Carcass average daily gain, kg	1.10	1.10	1.10	1.07	0.018	0.49	0.25	0.49
Ultrasound measurements
Ribeye area, cm2	86.3	86.4	87.8	85.0	0.97	0.87	0.23	0.04
Backfat thickness, mm	5.41	5.62	5.71	5.66	0.131	0.08	0.83	0.63
Marbling, %	2.98	2.90	2.89	3.06	0.085	0.74	0.15	0.35

¹Experimental period lasted 119 d. CONT: 14 d adaptation with 2 step-up diets and transition to a high-concentrate finishing diet on d 15 (n = 15), MEG-14: CONT plus oral administration of 20 mL of Lactipro-NXT (M. elsdenii NCIMB 41125, 1 × 10¹⁰ CFU/head; MS Biotec, Wamego, KS) on d 0 of the study (n = 15), MEG-6: Six d of adaptation with 2 step-up diets plus oral administration of 20 mL of Lactipro-NXT on d 0 of the study (n = 15), and MEG-0: Finishing diet and oral administration of 20 mL of Lactipro-NXT on d 0 of the study (n = 15).

²Ultrasound measurements were performed on d 116 of the study.

³Contrast analysis: 1) Megasphaera elsdenii effect = CONT vs. MEG, 2) Linear effect of d of adaptation = L, and 3). Quadratic effect of d of adaptation = Q.