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Assessment of dairy sheep internal fat depots by real time ultrasound and image analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2017

S. R. Silva*
Affiliation:
CECAV-UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
A. Lourenço
Affiliation:
CECAV-UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
V. Santos
Affiliation:
CECAV-UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
E. Mena
Affiliation:
CECAV-UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
C. M. Guedes
Affiliation:
CECAV-UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
A. Dias-da-Silva
Affiliation:
CECAV-UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
J. M. T. Azevedo
Affiliation:
CECAV-UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
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Extract

In sheep production the ability of the animal to retain and mobilize body fat reserves is of considerable importance in determining the sheep productivity or even its survival. The most common way to predict body fat reserves is the body condition score. On the other hand, it is accepted that breeds have a different fat distribution within the body (Taylor et al., 1989). In general, ewes breed for milk production tend to deposit more fat in internal depots and those breed for meat production deposit more fat in the carcass depot (Frutos et al., 1997). This kind of fat distribution can explain the use of an objective and more precise way to predict the internal fat in ewes of the Churra breed, in which the internal fat depots plays an important role. Thus, it is reasonable hypothesize that the internal fat depots are related with muscle and subcutaneous fat measurements. As a result, the study herein reported was undertaken to achieve the relationship between real time ultrasound measurements obtain over thoracic, lumbar and sternum regions to predict the internal fat depots of Churra da Terra Quente (CTQ) milk breed.

Type
Poster Presentations
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2007

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References

Frutos, P., Mantecón, A. R. and Girádez, F. J., 1997. Relationship of body condition score and live weight with body composition in mature Churra ewes. Animal Science 64: 447–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, StC. S. Murray, J. I. and Thonney, M. L., 1989. Breed and sex differences among equally mature sheep and goats. 4 Carcass muscle, fat and bone. Animal Production 49: 385–409.Google Scholar