Replacement of soybean meal by red yeast fermented tofu waste on feed intake, growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in Thai Brahman crossbred beef cattle.

This study aimed to determine the effect of replacing soybean meal (SBM) by red yeast fermented tofu waste (RYFTO) on feed intake, growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in Brahman crossbred beef cattle. A total of 12 cattle (1.5-2 years old and 275.0 ± 6.1 kg of initial body weight) were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments in completely randomized design. There were three dietary treatments as following: Control (SBM), 50%replacing SBM by red yeast fermented tofu waste (RYFTO50), and 100% replacing SBM by red yeast fermented tofu waste (RYFTO100) in concentrate diet raised for 60 days. Rice straw was used as roughage source and fed ad libitum. The results found that cattle received the diet with replacing SBM by RYFTO both RYFTO50 and RYFTO100 group affect roughage intake, total dry matter intake, and ADG (P < 0.05) except the digestibility and FCR (P > 0.05). The feed cost of roughage, concentrate, and total feed cost were lowest in RYFTO100 group when compared to the control (P < 0.05). Blood urea nitrogen was deducted when cattle received RYFTO100 when compared to the control and RYFTO50 (P < 0.05). However, the carcass characteristics and meat quality were similar among treatments (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the 100% replacing SBM by RYFTO in concentrate diet affect roughage intake and ADG without negative effect on concentrate intakes, digestibility, carcasses and meat quality. Therefore, RYFTO could be used as a protein source for partial replacement of SBM in the, concentrate diet at 50% which can lower feed cost. This study suggested that the further study should be conducted for longer period to gain the benefits of carotene in red yeast on carcass and meat quality.