Effects of monensin only, monensin and virginiamycin combination, or monensin and a blend of organic trace minerals and yeast on meat quality of crossbred bulls finished in feedlot individual pens and fed with high-grain diets

This study assessed carcass characteristics and meat quality of bulls finished in individual pens and fed with different diets. A completely randomized design determined how to feed 24 crossbred bulls (European × Nellore) with four diets over 84 days: CONT) without additives; MONE) inclusion of 30 mg of monensin/kg DM; MO + VI) inclusion of 30 mg of monensin + 30 mg of virginiamycin/kg DM; and MO+AD) inclusion of 30 mg of monensin/kg DM + 1.57 g of a blend of organic trace minerals, live yeast, beta-glucan, and mannans per kg DM (Advantage-Confinamento). MO+VI resulted in lower pH (P < 0.05) and lighter meat (P < 0.05) compared with other treatments. Cooking loss was less (P < 0.05) with MO+AD at 14 days of aging time. At 14 days, Warner-Bratzler shear force was higher for meat from bulls fed with CONT and MONE diets and slower (P < 0.05) for meat from bulls fed with MO+VI and MO+AD diets. In conclusion, including monensin combined with virginiamycin and monensin combined with a blend of organic trace minerals and yeast in the diets of bulls finished in individual pens can improve the color, Warner-Bratzler shear force of meat, and lower cooking losses.