Carcass performance and meat mineral content in Balouchi lamb fed pistachio by-products

This experiment investigated the effect of pistachio by-products (PB) in the feed of weaned Balouchi lambs on their daily gain, carcass traits and on the levels of Ca, Zn, Fe and Cu of Longissimus dorsi muscle. Twenty eight male lambs were divided into four groups with 7 lambs each and fed separately for 90 days. The first group (control) was fed a commercial concentrate, and the second, third and fourth (test) groups received diets in which 10, 20 and 30% PB was used in partial replacement of alfalfa hay and beet pulp. The results showed that the high level of PB had no effect on performance and carcass traits. There were no significant differences between groups in mineral content in Longissimus dorsi muscle. These results suggested that PB can be use in diet of fattening lambs up to 30% without any adverse effects on carcass performance and mineral content of lamb meat.