Abstract Chronic stress exposure commonly increases adrenals weight and changes their morphology. This study aimed to compare four methods to delimitate the cortical and medullary layers of adrenals glands in Nelore bulls. Fresh adrenals did not present differentiation between layers. Then, frozen adrenals were distributed in plastics bags with fixative Bouin (G1), 96ºGL ethylic alcohol (G2), 10% formaldehyde (G3), or 2.5% glutaraldehyde (G4). After 12 hours of fixation, the G1 adrenal glands did not show the entire cortical layer marked by Bouin’s solution. For G2 and G3 there was a poor contrast, while for G4 there was a reasonable contrast. After 24 hours of fixation, G1 had an excellent contrast between layers, while G2 and G4 had a reasonable contrast and G3 a very bad contrast. After 48 hours it was difficult to differentiate cortical and medullar layers for G1; for Group 2 we get a reasonable contrast; and for G3 the contrast was bad. For G4 the contrast was not as sharp due to the medulla became dark. It was concluded that fixation of adrenals must be done in Bouin’s solution for 24 hours to obtain an effective evaluation of the adrenals’ morphometry.

Quarenta bovinos machos, com 30 meses de idade e 371 kg, foram distribuídos em um delineamento em blocos casualizado com esquema fatorial 3 x 3, para avaliar o desempenho e rendimento de carcaça quando alimentados com diferentes fontes protéicas (Amiferm, uréia e farelo de soja) e volumosos (pastagem de capim-braquiária, cana-de-açúcar e silagem de milho). As dietas foram balanceadas para conterem níveis semelhantes de EM e PB. A interação volumoso x fonte de N não foi significativa para nenhum dos parâmetros estudados. O ganho de peso vivo diário (GPV/dia) dos animais alimentados com cana-de-açúcar (0,83 kg) não diferiu dos mantidos em pastagem (0,82 kg), mas ambos foram menores que dos animais alimentados com silagem de milho (1,09 kg). As diferentes fontes de N proporcionaram GPV/dia semelhantes, com valores de 0,94; 0,83 e 0,97 kg, para os animais que receberam uréia, Amiferm e farelo de soja, respectivamente. As dietas contendo farelo de soja proporcionaram maior ganho de carcaça diário (0,57 kg) em relação ao uso de Amiferm, não diferindo da uréia (0,55 kg). Não houve diferença entre volumosos e fontes nitrogenadas para rendimento de carcaça, rendimento de carcaça do corpo vazio, rendimento de carcaça do ganho de peso e espessura de gordura, com média de 51,03%, 54,49%, 60,10% e 8,5 mm, respectivamente. O uso de Amiferm proporcionou ganhos de peso e rendimento de carcaça semelhantes às demais fontes protéicas.

Forty steers averaging 371 kg BW were allotted to a randomized block design, in a factorial scheme 3 x 3 to evaluate the effect of feeding different protein sources (urea, amiferm, soybean meal) and forage (sugar cane, corn silage and pasture Bracharia brizantha) on performance and carcass dressing. Diets were formulated to contain similar ME and CP protein levels. Forage and nitrogen source interaction was not significant for all studied factors. Daily live weight (LWG/day) of animal fed sugar cane (0.83 kg) did not differ from those fed in pasture (0.82 kg), but both were different from corn silage (1.09 kg). The different protein sources resulted in similar LWG/day, with value of 0.94; 0.83 e 0.97 kg, for urea, Amiferm and soybean meal, respectively. Soybean meal diets showed higher daily carcass gain (0.57 kg) in relation to Amiferm (0.46 kg) but both nitrogen sources did not differ from urea (0.55 kg). There was no difference among forage and nitrogen sources for carcass dressing, carcass dressing in function of empty weight (%EBW), carcass yield of weight gain and fat layer, mean of 51.03%, 54.49%, 60.10% e 8.5 mm, respectively. The use of Amiferm provided weight gain and carcass dressing similar to the others nitrogen sources.

Quarenta bovinos machos, com peso médio de 371 kg, foram distribuídos em um delineamento em blocos casualizado com esquema fatorial 3x3, dos quais quatro foram abatidos no início do experimento como referência, para avaliar a biometria das carcaças e o peso de vísceras e órgãos internos quando alimentados com diferentes fontes protéicas (uréia, Amiferm e farelo de soja) e volumosos (cana-de-açúcar e a silagem de milho e pastagem de capim Brachiaria brizantha). Não houve interação significativa volumosos x fontes protéicas e não houve diferença significativa entre as fontes protéicas para os parâmetros estudados. Para os volumosos, os pesos (em porcentagem do peso do corpo vazio - % PCV) do conteúdo estomacal (CRROA) e do conteúdo gastrintestinal (CGI) foram significativamente maiores para os animais alimentados com cana-de-açúcar (7,52 e 8,59% PCV, respectivamente) e não diferiram entre os alimentados com silagem de milho e capim, com médias de 5,10% PCV, para CRROA, e 5,89% PCV para CGI. Os animais mantidos em pastagem não apresentaram compacidade das carcaças diferente dos animais alimentados com os outros volumosos, enquanto os alimentados com cana-de-açúcar mostraram ser menos compactos que os alimentados com silagem de milho. As fontes protéicas também influenciaram a compacidade, que foi menor nos animais que receberam Amiferm e iguais para os que receberam uréia e farelo de soja. Conclui-se que os animais alimentados com cana-de-açúcar apresentam maior enchimento dos compartimentos digestivos e carcaças menos compactas.

Forty steers averaging 371 kg BW were allotted to a randomized block design with a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement, where four steers were slaughtered as reference, to evaluate the effects of feeding different protein sources (urea, amiferm, soybean meal) and forage (sugar cane, corn silage and pasture Bracharia brizantha) on carcass biometry and viscera and internal organs weights. Diets were formulated to be isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. No significant forage x protein source interaction was detected. It was not observed significant effect of protein source on the evaluated parameters. Forage, weight (% empty body weight -% EBW), stomach content (CRROA) and content gastrointestinal (CGI) increased significantly when the animal was fed sugar cane (7.52 and 8.59% EBW, respectively) and did not differ when corn silage and pasture were fed, averaging 5.10 and 5.89%, respectively. Grazing animals showed the same carcass compacity of those fed other forages. The animals fed sugar cane showed to be less compact than those fed corn silage. It was detected significant effect of protein sources on compacity, that decreased in animal fed Amiferm and was the same in animals fed urea and soybean meal-based diets. It was concluded that animals fed sugar cane showed greater fill digestive tracts and smaller compactness index of carcass.