Generic Zilpaterol Sources Affect Similarly the Meat Quality of Hairy Lambs When Compared with Patent Zilpaterol

Twenty-four Pelibuey × Katahdin (46.7±2.4 kg initial shrunk weight) crossbred intact male lambs were used in a 33-d growth-performance experiment order to compared two sources of generic zilpaterol vs. pat-ent zilpaterol on five variables of meat quality (water holding capacity, color, purge loss, cook loss, and shear force) shear force) of lambs finished with a high-energy diet. Dietary treatments consisted of a corn-based finishing diet (13.3% crude protein and 2.11 Mcal of net energy for maintenance/kg dry matter) sup-plemented with no zilpaterol (control) or supplemented with the label dosage (125 mg of product/kg diet, as-fed basis) with patent brand zilpaterol [Zilmax® (ZIL)] or with two generic ZH sources [Grofactor® (GRO) or Zipamix® (ZIPA)]. Weight at slaughter was 50.93, 54.55, 54.20, and 54.50 kg for control, ZIL, GRO, and ZIPA, respectively. The average intake of zilpaterol was 0.16 mg ZH/kg live weight. There were no differences between zilpaterol sources on meat quality variables evaluated. Compared to controls, zilpa-terol supplementation did not appreciably affect color, water-holding capacity, and drip loss. However, supplemental zilpaterol averaged an increased 36% shear force (4.11 vs. 2.63). It is concluded that the ge-neric zilpaterol sources tested in the present experiment affect similarly the meat quality of hairy lambs fed a high-energy diet than patent brand zilpaterol. Zilpaterol affected mainly the tenderness of the meat.