LAUSR

Lauric acid (LA) is an additive used in ruminant’s diet with the purpose of mitigating the methane effect. However, the presence of a certain amount of LA in the rumen can cause a reduction in the microbial population and ruminal metabolic processes, such as the biohydrogenation. This study aimed evaluate the effect of the LA inclusion in the diet of Nellore on the fatty acids profile of the meat. Thirty-two young Nellore bulls were used with an average age of 24-months. The animals were individually fed with a total mixed ration with 40% of roughage (Cynodon sp. hay) and 60% of concentrated mix, composed with ground corn, soybean meal, urea, mineral premix and LA in 0.0; 0.5; 1.0; 1.5% of inclusion in the total diet dry matter basis. Those amounts constituted the treatments. At the end of the trial, the animals were slaughtered and the meat was stored at -21oC, before analyses. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four treatments and eight replications. The data were submitted to regression analysis, and significance was declared when P < 0.05. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of the inclusion of LA in the sum of saturated fatty acids (∑SAF=43.45±1.55), monounsaturated fatty acids (∑MUFA=41.9±0.29), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (∑PUFA=12.25±1.40). The inclusion of LA in the diets also did not affect the sum of omega-3 fatty acids (∑ n-3=1.05±0.22), omega-6 fatty acids (∑ n-6=3.02±0.49, and the reason n-6: n-3 (2.91±0.12). The atherogenicity (0.65±0.05) and trombogenicity (1.47±0.10) indexes, important indexes to predict heart coronary diseases risk, were not affected by the inclusion of LA in the diet of the animals. The results suggest that LA can be included up to 1.5% (DM basis of total diet) in the diets of Nellore without causing any significant changes in the fatty acids profile of the meat.