책임운영기관 농촌진흥청 국립축산과학원 (로고)

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary probiotics and pH modifier supplementation on growth (GP) performance, carcass traits (CT), and ruminal biometric sensors in Hanwoo steers. A total of 32 Hanwoo steers equipped with a bio-capsule in the rumen were recruited (18.5 months). A total of 4 dietary treatments including control C (without supplementation), T1 (probiotics; 150 g/d), T2 (pH modifier; 100 g/d), and T3 (pH modifier; 200 g/d) were tested. The GP, CT, ruminal biometrics (pH, temperature, and activity), and economic analysis were obtained during a 10-month study period. The average daily gain and feed-conversion-ratio were greater (P < 0.05) with the T2 and T3 supplementation than that in C and T1. The hierarchy for the ruminal pH and activity was: C < T3 < T2 < T1 (P < 0.05). Carcass grades, including carcass weight, longissimus muscle area, marbling score, and firmness in the steers fed T2 and T3 diets were greater (P < 0.05) than those fed C and T1 diets. The net profit based on the economic analyses was 0.5, 1.3, 2.0, and 2.5 million won/head for the C, T1, T2, and T3 diets, respectively. The supplementation of additives could thus partially prevent a decrease in pH and provide relatively healthy activities.