Assessing the Effect of Fermented Chestnuts on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality in Hanwoo Steers During the Late Fattening Period

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of dietary fermented chestnuts on the growth performance, carcass parameters, and meat quality in the late fattening period of Hanwoo steers for 72 days. Eighteen castrated Hanwoo steers (615.8 ± 1.0 kg, 28 months old) were assigned into two groups (control vs. treatment), with nine Hanwoo steers in three replicates (three heads per replicate) for each group. The Hanwoo steers in the control group were fed a concentrate mix and rice straws, whereas those in the treatment group supplemented the control diet with 5% fermented chestnuts. Growth performance of Hanwoo steers was not different between the two groups (p>0.05), and 5% fermented chestnut supplementation had no effect on carcass trait (p>0.05). For meat quality, the application of fermented chestnuts to the Hanwoo steers diet exerted no significant effect in terms of chemical composition and physicochemical characteristics (p>0.05), except for pH (p<0.05). Considering the fatty acid profiles, the addition of 5% fermented chestnuts resulted in no significant difference (p>0.05) in the individual percentages of fatty acids, the relative percentages of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), and the SFA:UFA ratio. However, fermented chestnut supplementation affected the percentages of margaroleic acid, stearic acid, and arachidonic acid (p<0.05). In conclusion, supplementation of 5% fermented chestnuts did not improve growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality in Hanwoo steers. No more did the addition of fermented chestnuts in the diets demonstrate any detrimental effect during fattening Hanwoo steers.