Some Relationships Among the Major Chemical Components of the Bovine Body and their Application to Nutritional Investigations

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The results of recent studies suggest that it may be possible to determine the body water content of live, intact cattle. As a consequence, a study was made of the data published on the chemical composition of the whole, empty bodies of cattle with a view to extending certain interrelationships among the body components to the resolution of the chemical composition and energy value of the bovine body. It was found that the fat content (Y) of the whole, empty body can be derived from the water content (X) by use of the equation, Y = 355.88 + 0.355X - 202.91 log X. The standard deviation from regression was 1.03% fat in this population in which the mean fat content was 14.2%. On the fat-free, dry basis, the mean protein and ash contents and their standard deviations were 80.3 [plus or minus] 1.69 and 19.7 [plus or minus] 1.69%, respectively. Although these values are relatively constant, age of cattle was found to be highly significantly correlated with the concentrations of protein (-0.42) and ash (0.42). A correction for age provided more refined estimates of these components. Application of the mathematical relationships derived in these studies provided accurate estimates of the energy value of cattle bodies, even when severe nutritional treatments were imposed upon the animals. The compositional relationships studied were not influenced by sex or type of cattle.