Effect of dietary safflower cake (Carthamus tinctorius L.) on growth performances, carcass composition and meat quality traits in Garganica breed kids

The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of a diet containing safflower cake in pelleted total mixed rations (TMR) on growth performance, carcass parameters and meat quality of kids. Sixteen male Garganica breed kids (12.0±0.4 kg), weaned at 40±3 days, were randomly divided into two equal groups blocked by BW. Kids were fed for 50 d, from weaning to slaughtering age, with one of the following dietary treatments: the control diet (Control) without safflower cake inclusion, and diet containing safflower cake (SFC, 200 g/kg). Findings of the performance trial of kids reported that feed conversion ratio was enhanced by dietary SFC (P<0.01). None of the traits evaluated at slaughter were modified by diets. Safflower cake supplementation positively affected colour indexes of meat from longissimus lumborum and semimembranosus muscles. The current study confirms that SFC can be used in lamb TMR diets as no significant reduction of productive performance and meat quality. It may be concluded that the use of a safflower cake in kid feeding may be considered as a sustainable and economically viable strategy because of the lower cost of the safflower byproduct.