The objective of this work was to evaluate the yields, morphometric measures, carcass, and non-carcass components, and carcass regional and tissue composition of an indigenous sheep (Pantaneiro) of different physiological stages (gender, age, system production. Thirty sheep, eleven lambs, nine wethers, and ten cull ewes were used. The lambs were finished in feedlots, the wethers were maintained on pastures and supplementation, and the cull ewes were maintained on an extensive pasture system with mineral salt ad libitum. Slaughter ages were defined to simulate the most representative products and farming systems. Animals were slaughtered and classified as non- castrated lambs, wethers, and cull ewes. The criteria to slaughter lambs and wethers were the body condition, which ranged from 2.5 to 3.0. Cull ewes were slaughtered based on negative pregnancy diagnosis, regardless of their body condition, which ranged from 4.0 to 4.5. All animals were slaughtered after 16-hours of fasting (solids). The ewes presented the greatest fat thickness, differing significantly from the lambs. The morphometric measures were higher in ewes and lambs. The muscle to fat ratio of the animal's cuts from different physiological stages presented no significant differences. The indigenous Pantaneiro sheep have good potential for meat production regardless of their physiological stages. The ewes stood out, presenting carcasses with good performance considering their potential and longer permanence in the herd due to their reproductive function.

For centuries, indigenous sheep have been bred in extensive low-input systems in Midwestern Brazil. The hypothesis of this study was the assumption that phenotypic evaluation of indigenous livestock may drive the establishment of breed standards and official breed recognition, and, therefore, promote more local business opportunities. On the basis of more integrative and participatory theoretical background to applying any decision based on phenotype, we designed this research to determine the most typical and unusual phenotypes of Pantaneiro sheep. Pantaneiro ewes (281 ewes from five conservation units in five counties) were evaluated, bearing in mind both conservation and development. Descriptive statistics were used to classify ewes into typical, intermediate, and unusual phenotypes. Chi-squared tests for association were performed to test if morphological variation in the different sampling sites occurred randomly (p > 0.05) or not (p < 0.05). Some results suggest some sort of diversifying selection pressure, i.e., distinct preferences among keepers. We observed considerable morphologic variation among ewes, but it was straightforward to determine the predominant phenotypes. The study evokes integrative agrobiodiversity by putting phenotypical characterization of indigenous livestock into perspective. Discussions coming from this study may support innovative governance and participative decision-making, allied with strategies that value the socioeconomic, biocultural, and adaptive aspects of indigenous livestock in tropical regions and developing countries. This is a challenge for government, rare-breed keepers, value-chain actors, and civil society.

Sheep farming length of stay in the feedlot directly influences system profitability, mainly due to the high cost of feed. Thus, the use of predictive models based on body measurements is an important tool to define the optimal slaughter point and the ideal feedlot period. Thus, the aim was to evaluate predictive models of meat cuts and tissue carcasses concerning weight at slaughter (WS), loin eye area (LEA), and subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) obtained by ultrasound of the lumbar region of lambs. The WS and ultrasound measurements were obtained from a pre-slaughter collection of 45 lambs, divided into five groups, each weighing 15, 20, 25, 30, or 35 kg, with nine replications per group. Three regression models were evaluated: WS, LEA, and SFT (independent variables) and the cuts yield or tissue composition (dependent variable). Increasing WS resulted in greater carcass weight and commercial cuts. Above 15 kg body weight, bone weight showed little or no increase (allometric coefficient = 0.06), whereas muscle and fat tissues increased steadily, with allometric coefficients of 0.25 and 0.12, respectively. The commercial cuts showed a high and significant correlation with WS and LEA. The muscle and bone proportion of the leg had a significant (p < 0.10) correlation with SFT. For the weight of commercial cuts estimates, the inclusion of LEA and/or SFT with WS did not improve the coefficient of determination but made the predictions equivalent to the measured values. There were high determination coefficients when WS was only used to predict muscle, fat, and bone weight, but it was not efficient in predicting the muscle/fat and muscle/bone ratios and the percentage of tissues. The WS was the variable that best explained the weight and tissue content. The inclusion of LEA and/or SFT made little improvement to the predictive models.

El objetivo del presente estudio meta-analítico fue evaluar el efecto del glicerol en la dieta sobre el comportamiento productivo, digestibilidad de nutrientes y las características de la canal y carne de cabras en engorde. Se hizo una revisión sistemática utilizando las bases de datos de Google Scholar, ScienceDirect y SciELO. Palabras clave como crude glycerin, intake, goat, kids, carcass, meat quality fueron utilizados. Como criterios de inclusión de los artículos científicos se consideraron la presencia de un tratamiento testigo (0% de glicerol) y por lo menos un porcentaje de glicerol en la dieta, datos referentes a la digestibilidad de los nutrientes, respuesta productiva, características de la canal y carne y nivel de glicerol en la glicerina bruta en trabajos publicados entre 2014 y 2019. Se seleccionaron 56 artículos, de los cuales 11 reunieron los criterios de inclusión. Ante la heterogeneidad o amplitud de los niveles de glicerol, los niveles fueron agrupados: 0, 1.27-4.38 y 6.40-9.60% de glicerol en base a la materia seca de la dieta. Análisis de normalidad, variancia y de regresión fueron realizadas a partir de los datos de cada variable dentro de cada nivel de glicerol en la dieta. Se evidenció la alta variación de los niveles de glicerol en glicerina bruta. Glicerol hasta 9.60% en la dieta no compromete la digestibilidad, consumo, principales características de la canal y carne de cabra.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the supplementation with rumen-protected fat from soybean or palm and thermally processed soybean on the feed intake, digestibility of nutrients, milk production, and milk content of ewes. Twenty-five Pantaneiras ewes, 3–6 years old, 39.8 ± 3.51 kg body weight, and 65 ± 4 days in milk, were distributed into five treatments (5 ewes in each) in a completely randomized design continuous trial, over 56 days. The treatments consisted of daily supplementation with soybean-based rumen-protected fat (SPF; 30 g/d), palm-based rumen-protected fat (PPF; 30 g/d), a blend of soybean and palm rumen-protected fats (Blend; 30 g/d), thermally processed soybean (TPS; 124 g/d), and a control without supplementation. We performed a daily evaluation of feed intake and milk production, and every 14 days, we evaluated the nutrient digestibility, milk composition, and fatty acid profile. The protein and casein content were lower in the SPF treatment. Supplementation with PPF resulted in a higher saturated fatty acid content, while supplementation with TPS resulted in higher monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid contents. The supplementation with SPF resulted in higher milk fatty acid functionality. Feeding ewes SPF or TPS enhanced nutrient intake and digestibility, leading to increased milk production and an improved milk fatty acid profile. In contrast, supplementation with PPF resulted in a less favorable fatty acid composition.

The Pantaneiro sheep is a locally adapted genetic resource shaped by the seasonal flooding, thermal stress, and heterogeneous forage availability of the Brazilian Pantanal. Characterizing its morphological structure using objective and field-applicable traits is essential for standardized phenotyping and conservation-oriented breeding strategies. This study evaluated 211 Pantaneiro ewes raised under semi-extensive management to identify morphometric patterns and identify simple predictors of qualitative phenotypic traits. Twenty-three quantitative and ten qualitative traits were measured and analyzed using multivariate techniques, including factor analysis and hierarchical clustering, to describe morphological structure. Decision tree models were then developed to predict key phenotypic traits from morphometric variables. Four main morphological dimensions explained 64.6% of total variance, reflecting body capacity, limb robustness, and cranial morphology. Among the ten decision tree models generated, three achieved predictive accuracies above 80% head profile (86.3%), muzzle type (84.8%), and wool color (82.5%), indicating that metatarsus and tarsus circumferences are reliable non-invasive predictors of cranial and tegumentary traits. The integration of multivariate morphometry and machine learning proved effective for identifying simple predictors applicable to field management. Overall, these findings reinforce the adaptive potential of Pantaneiro ewe and their importance for sustainable and resilient livestock production in tropical floodplain ecosystems.