The effect of supplementation on the physicochemical composition of shoulder, ribs, and neck of Santa Inês lambs finished on pasture was evaluated. A total of 24 castrated sheep, averaging 15.8kg BW were used. The animals were allotted in a completely randomized design with three treatments (daily concentrated supplementation equivalent to 0, 1.0, and 1.5% of BW) and eight repetitions. The shoulder blade, ribs, and neck were dissected into muscle, bone, and fat to determine the physical composition and the meat was underwent to determination of chemical composition. There was a significant effect (P<0.05) of the supplementation of 1.0 and 1.5% on muscle yield, muscle: bone ratio, and dry matter and fat contents of meat. The highest muscle yields were observed in the shoulder and ribs with averages of 439.21 and 678.97g and 377.30 and 693.01g, respectively, for supplementation of 0% and 1.5%.
lamb; semi-arid; fat; muscle; commercial cuts
