A model of nutrient utilization and body composition in beef cattle

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Abstract
A simple dynamic model of metabolism in growing beef cattle is described; the scheme is based on carbon and nitrogen fluxes. There are six state variables, three relating to blood metabolite levels and three to body composition. The blood metabolite variables are acetyl-coenzyme A equivalents, glucose equivalents and amino acids, and the body composition ones are ash, lipid and protein. The fluxes in the model are based on nine biochemical transactions, six of which are catabolic and three biosynthetic. The model simulates changes in carcass composition in response to changing nutrient input and gives a measure of agreement with comparative slaughter data. It also highlights the need for more complete data on profiles of nutrient absorption in association with comparative slaughter experiments.