Ruminants

Tannins can be utilized to increase rumen undegradable protein (RUP) by their capacity to form complexes with diverse nutrients present in the feed. In that regard, high-performance ruminants demand elevated RUP levels. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of incorporating varying levels of tannin into three protein sources (cottonseed, peanut, and soybean meals) on ruminal kinetic parameters, ruminal fermentation, and intestinal digestibility. Thus, three in situ experiments were conducted to investigate the ruminal degradation kinetics, where Fraction A represents the soluble portion, Fraction B relates to the portion potentially degraded in the rumen, and kd denotes the degradation rate of Fraction B, for both dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) in the rumen. Additionally, the study assessed dry matter effective degradability (ED), rumen undegradable protein (RUP), and intestinal digestibility (ID). These experiments utilized three cannulated animals for the in situ incubations. Regarding cottonseed meal in terms of DM degradation kinetics, tannin inclusion had a quadratic effect on fraction A (p < 0.01), B (p = 0.10, trend), kd (p = 0.03), and ED (p < 0.01). Fraction A of CP had a cubic effect (p = 0.03), being greater for the control compared with the other treatments. The inclusion of tannin linearly increased RUP (p < 0.01). The RUP proportion increased 29, 33, and 45% when 20, 40, and 60 g/kg tannin were used, respectively, compared to the control. For peanut meal, the A fraction of protein and RUP responded quadratically as tannin was included in peanut meal (p < 0.01). However, tannin levels did not affect fraction B of protein and ID. Regarding soybean meal, fractions A and B of DM and ED had cubic effects (p < 0.01), being greater for the control compared with the other treatments, and responded quadratically as tannin increased. Also, tannin inclusion had a cubic effect on fractions A and B of protein, RUP, and ID (p < 0.01). The cubic behavior showed greater B fraction and ID and lower A fraction and RUP for the control compared other treatments (p < 0.01). Tannins offer a promising avenue for elevating RUP levels in diets featuring cottonseed and peanut meals. Nevertheless, no advantages were observed when treating soybean meal with tannin. Full article

The influence of four levels of dietary supplementation on the development of the immune response and on the biology of Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis was evaluated in Dorper lambs under serial artificial infections with 1000 infective larvae (L3) of each species; the supplement was given every 3 days for 12 weeks. For each of the four diets formulated, one infected group (n = 7) and one control group (n = 4) were set up. Diets 1, 2, 3, and 4 contained 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% of concentrate, respectively. There was an evident immune response to infection in all groups, manifested through eosinophilia and the production of anti-L3 immunoglobulins. There was a significant inverse relationship between the levels of nutrients in the diets and the numbers of late fourth-stage larvae, immature adult stages, and adults of H. contortus. Following 12 weeks of serial infections, most of the H. contortus population was found at the early fourth stage, indicating the occurrence of hypobiosis. The early fourth stage represented 59.5%, 75.8%, 83.3%, and 86.3% of the total Haemonchus worm burden, respectively, in Diets 1, 2, 3, and 4. In the case of T. colubriformis, hypobiosis was not observed, and diet had no influence on the establishment of parasites. Full article

Selecting high-immune-responding cattle benefits the individual animal and the herd. To assess factors that have a role in determining the immune status of cattle, this study used 55 weaned bull and 57 weaned heifer Brahman calves. Antibody-mediated immune response (AMIR) was determined by using a vaccine-specific IgG, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in response to cattle receiving the Salmonella Newport Extract vaccine. Cell-mediated immune response (CMIR) was determined by using a subcutaneous (neck) sensitization dose of Candida albicans (CA) with Quil-A adjuvant on Day 0. On Day 14, caudal skinfold thickness (SFT) was measured using Harpenden calipers prior to the intradermal injection of CA into the skinfold, and on Day 15, the injection site SFT was measured again. The response was determined by using the difference in SFT from Day 15 (post-injection) and Day 14 (pre-injection). In weaned Brahman calves, AMIR was not influenced by sex; however, there was sexual dimorphism associated with CMIR, in that bull calves had a greater response than heifers (p < 0.05). Our studies demonstrate that weaned Brahman calves can be separated into AMIR and CMIR classes and that AMIR and CMIR should be investigated further as selection tools in beef cattle production. Full article

The growing interest in improving rumen fermentation and mitigating methane emissions necessitates the use of essential oil blends (EOB) and fumaric acid (FA). This study evaluated the synergistic effect of four EOB with or without FA supplementation on in vitro dry matter digestibility, greenhouse gas emission, and total volatile fatty acid production using inoculum from three rumen-cannulated Black Angus beef cows. The study was arranged in a 4 × 2 + 1 factorial design to evaluate the effects of the four EOB and two FA levels on a total mixed ration (TMR). The EOB dosage was 100 µL while FA was added at 3% of total mixed ration. The EOB × FA interaction (p < 0.05) influenced the dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, and hemicellulose degradabilities. All the EOB and FA (EFA) treatments decreased (p < 0.001) the dry matter degradability compared to the control (TMR substrate only). The EFA4 treatment reduced the neutral detergent fiber and hemicellulose degradabilities compared to the control. The ruminal pH was influenced (p < 0.001) by both the EOB and FA inclusion, and the EOB × FA interaction was significant. The microbial mass was higher (p < 0.001) in the EFA1, EFA4, and EOB4 compared to the control and the EOB3 treatments. The EFA1 and EOB1 produced less (p < 0.001) gas than the control by 29.1 and 32.1%, respectively. Compared with the control, the EFA1 and EOB1 treatments decreased (p < 0.001) methane gas by 90.8% and 86.4%, respectively, while the carbon dioxide was reduced (p = 0.004) by 65.7 and 57.9%, respectively. The EOB × FA interaction was significant (p < 0.001) for the total and individual volatile fatty acid concentrations. The inclusion of FA increased the propionate concentration by 9.5% and decreased (p = 0.02) the acetate concentration by 4%. In summary, the synergistic effect of the EOB and FA offers an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emission and enhance total volatile fatty acids. Full article

The objective of the current study was to compare the rumen inoculum of slaughtered cattle with the ruminal inoculum of cannulated cattle; additionally, determine its reliability in the in vitro analysis of ruminant feeds throughout a multivariate approach. Five male bovines (weight 320 ± 9.4 kg; mean ± standard deviation) provided with ruminal cannula and between five and seven bovines slaughtered in slaughterhouse were used. The evaluations were carried out following a completely randomized design. The data obtained were subjected to different multivariate analyzes to determine the reliability of the ruminal inoculum of animals slaughtered in commercial slaughterhouses compared to that obtained from cannulated animals. The relative contribution indicated that the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD, 50.75%) and in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD, 29.83%) analysis influence 80.13% of the results to determine the reliability of the ruminal inoculum from slaughtered cattle. Furthermore, it was determined that the first two principal components (IVNDFD and acetic acid production) are the ones that influence the results by 89.87%. The grouping of diets using the Tocher optimization method and the dendrogram shows the formation of six groups and two groups, respectively. The grouping shows that the ruminal inoculum source was not the limiting parameter in the evaluation. Rumen inoculum from cattle slaughtered in a commercial slaughterhouse (with unknown diet) has potential as an alternative for the in vitro analysis of cattle feed, provided that the lignin concentration in the diet is less than 35.5 g/kg DM. Full article

This study aimed to identify behavioral and morphological traits of Nellore cattle that can influence calves’ survival and pre-weaning performance. It was performed in two units of a large-scale cow–calf operation farm located in the Central-West region of Brazil, with 975 cow–calf dyads, by scoring cows’ maternal protective behavior, body condition, horns, udder suspension (US), teat size (TS) and calves’ vigor. TS was used to determine teat symmetry (TSm). The production unit where calves were born, their birth date, sex, and birth (BW) and weaning weights were also recorded. Cow ages at calving and production units were used to categorize the cows into twelve classes (Cage). The Shapiro–Wilk test alongside tables of frequencies were used to determine if continuous and categorical variables followed a normal distribution, respectively. Two datasets were considered in statistical analyses: (i) 975 dyad records were used to identify potential factors influencing calf survivability and (ii) 936 records of weaned calves were used to assess pre-weaning performance. Generalized linear models were used to assess the effect of target traits on the calves’ weight adjusted for 210 days of age (W210, kg) and pre-weaning average daily gain (preADG, kg/day). Tukey’s test was used to compare W210 and preADG means. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were estimated between BW, W210 and preADG. Cage, US and the TSm significantly affected pre-weaning calf performance (p < 0.01). Older cows (independently of the production unit) and those with intermediate US and symmetrical teats weaned heavier calves. As expected, positive and significant correlation was observed between BW and preADG (r = 0.35), which, in turn, was highly correlated with W210 (r = 0.99). We concluded that none of the behavioral and morphological traits influenced calf survivability, but cow age, US and TSm impacted pre-weaning performance, with 8- to 11-year-old cows and those with intermediate US and symmetric teats leading to better calf performance at weaning. Full article

Probiotics are live microorganisms that promote host health through microbiota balance and immune modulation. We assessed an acidogenic bacterial consortium (ABC) with promising probiotic properties, focusing on its resilience during transit through the digestive tract in ruminants and determining its optimal in vitro dosage. The ABC exhibited antibiotic resistance, thrived at pH levels between 5 and 7 for 24 and 48 h, and showed a 77% survival rate in artificial gastric juice. Moreover, it not only endured bile salt exposure but also multiplied. The ABC exhibited 10.74% of coaggregation capabilities against E. coli. Optimal dosage determination revealed that 4 × 10⁸ was the ideal concentration, as higher doses did not yield significant differences in dry matter digestion. In the in vivo trial with Limousin Heifers, the ABC led to enhanced total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, increased daily weight gains, and improved feed conversion rates compared to the control group. These findings underscore the potential of the ABC as a probiotic to boost animal productivity and overall health. Full article

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Iran and associated with a large impact on the livestock industry. Livestock mobility is recognized as one of the most important risk factors for FMD and other infectious livestock diseases’ introduction and dissemination. The description of temporal and spatial aspects of livestock mobility networks in Iran provides insights into FMD epidemiology. It also assists in the formulation of recommendations to mitigate the risk of animal disease transmission through livestock movements. This study is the first spatiotemporal description of official/registered cattle, sheep, goat, and camel movements in Iran, using records related to the period from March 2020 to August 2021 extracted from the Iran Veterinary Organization (IVO) Quarantine system. It shows that the static networks drawn by the movements of small ruminants, cattle, and camels to farms or slaughterhouses are complex and highlights the predominance of a few provinces and towns. In particular, the results show that Razavi Khorasan and West Azerbaijan provinces, major provinces for the Iranian livestock sector, are provinces where significant volumes of small ruminants and cattle are moved (from, to, or within) and, therefore, should be prioritized for targeted and timely risk reduction interventions. This study produces some of the necessary inputs for the risk assessment of FMD and similar transboundary animal diseases (TADs) spread within Iran, which is needed to regularly update the national risk-based control strategy for FMD and other TADs. Full article

We evaluated the effects of feeding 60% dried corn distillers’ grains plus solubles (DDGS) or the equivalent sulfur as CaSO₄ on sperm characteristics and transcript abundance. Thirty-six half-sibling Angus bulls (256 ± 8.5 d; initial BW = 320 ± 2.7 kg) were assigned to one of three treatments: (1) 60% concentrate as corn (CON); (2) 60% DDGS as corn replacement (60DDGS); and (3) CON diet + equivalent sulfur of 60DDGS added as CaSO₄ (SULF). The acrosome/cell membrane integrity, mitochondrial energy potential, oxidation status, DNA integrity, and zinc signatures were analyzed via flow cytometry. Sperm-specific gene expression was assessed via RNA sequencing. The flow cytometry data were analyzed using PROC MIXED in SAS to determine the effects of treatment. Pairwise comparisons based on edgeR were used to identify differentially expressed genes. The percentage of polarized mitochondria tended to be greater (p = 0.08) for SULF compared with CON and 60DDGS. Protamine 1 was upregulated (p < 0.01; FDR = 0.10) in 60DDGS compared to CON. Zinc signature 1 in 60DDGS and SULF was reduced (p = 0.03) compared to CON. This study suggests that feeding bulls diets containing 60% DDGS had little effect on DNA integrity and gene expression. Full article

Automatic calf feeders (AMFs) that supply milk for pre-weaning calves require group housing. This observational study assessed calf growth, health, feeding patterns and social behaviours prior to, during and following weaning in groups on the AMF. Calves were recruited from a single UK dairy farm and placed into two groups on the AMF between 3 and5 weeks of age (n = 19 and 13). They were fed milk near-ad libitum until 8 weeks of age when they entered a 2-week step-down weaning period. Daily milk consumption and the numbers of successful and refusal visits were collected from the AMF, along with weekly weights and health checks. Calf behaviour around the AMF was monitored through video analysis, and activity was assessed using tri-axial accelerometers. On average, the calves consumed approximately 3 L of milk three times a day from the AMF, confirming that limiting calves to twice daily feeding will restrict their desired milk consumption. The ADLG pre-weaning was 0.74 kg/d (SD 0.41 kg), rising to 0.99 kg/d (SD 0.46 kg) over weaning and 1.05 kg/d (SD 0.12 kg) post weaning. Refusal visits to the AMF, social interactions, displacements and cross sucking all increased over the weaning periods, suggesting that the calves were experiencing frustration due to a lack of expected milk rewards rather than hunger as ADLG continued to increase. Female calves also had more successful and refusal visits to the AMF than males, along with higher displacement indexes (p = 0.052), suggesting single-sex groups may be beneficial to AMFs. Calf activity had a diurnal pattern, with the highest standing times being during mid-morning and early evening, which may put pressure on limited resources if all calves are active during these particular time periods. Full article

The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of regrouping on Holstein heifer salivary cortisol concentrations and behavior. Eighteen heifers (192.8 ± 13.6 days of age) were used during this study. Each of these heifers was introduced into a pen of older existing heifers. The heifers were assigned to four groups that corresponded to each of the four regroupings. Saliva samples were collected the day before regrouping (baseline; pre-regrouping), the day of regrouping, and the day after regrouping (post-regrouping). Video cameras continuously recorded from the hour before each regrouping through one day after each regrouping. Salivary cortisol concentrations were higher than the baseline for novel and existing heifers on the day of regrouping and one day post-regrouping (p = 0.01). More aggressive and agnostic behaviors occurred during Regroupings 1 and 4 than during Regroupings 2 and 3. Novel heifers spent more time standing (p = 0.05) and drinking (p = 0.05) than the existing heifers and less time lying (p = 0.05), but no other differences were observed between the behavior of existing and novel heifers. The salivary cortisol results of this study demonstrate that regrouping is a stressful event for both novel and existing dairy heifers. Full article

Wagyu cattle are well known for their greater intramuscular fat content which improves eating quality for consumers. These experiments were designed to investigate the impact of olive cake supplementation on Wagyu steer growth performance, longissimus muscle fatty acid composition, and in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics. We hypothesized that feeding with olive cake would improve animal performance and increase oleic acid (C18:1cis9) composition in the longissimus muscle. Experiment 1: Eighty-three American Wagyu steers (725 ± 10.7 kg) were used in this experiment. Steers were blocked by initial body weight (BW) and randomly assigned within blocks to one of two treatments. Treatments consisted of (1) control (basal ration with no olive cake) or (2) control diet + 5% supplemental olive. Steers were housed in feedlot pens (n = 4 steers/pen; 11 replicates/treatment) and fed a finishing diet typical for Wagyu cattle. Steers were individually weighed every 28 d throughout the 177 d experiment. Longissimus muscle samples were obtained for fatty acid analysis at the time of slaughter. Experiment 2: Rumen fluid from three beef steers (480 ± 10 kg) fitted with rumen canulae was used to investigate the impact of olive cake on in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics. Treatments consisted of (1) control (no olive cake) or (2) 5% olive cake. Results: Experiment 1: Steers receiving olive cake had a lower (p < 0.05) final BW and DM intake when compared to steers receiving the control diet. Longissimus muscle C18:2 and C22:6 n-3 were greater (p < 0.05) and C18:1cis9 tended (p < 0.06) to be greater in steers receiving olive cake when compared to controls. Experiment 2: Dry matter, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber disappearance and molar proportions of short chain fatty acids were similar across treatments. The weight percentage of C14:1 was greater in in vitro rumen fluid fermented with olive cake when compared to controls. All other long chain fatty acids were similar across treatments. Under the conditions of this experiment, feeding olive cake at 5% of the diet DM reduced live animal performance and had minimal impacts on longissimus muscle fatty acid composition and in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics. Full article

The objective of this research was to determine the influence of implanting heavy wether lambs with 12 mg of zeranol (1 pellet Ralgro, Merck Animal Health. Madison, NJ, USA) 59 d before harvest. Average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency, and carcass merit were evaluated. Polypay and crossbred wethers (n = 32) were equally divided into two treatment groups: non-implanted; (CON) or implanted with 12 mg of zeranol (IMP) in a randomized complete block design. Sixteen pens were used, resulting in eight replicate pens per treatment. Wethers were fed a finishing diet consisting of cracked corn, soybean meal, and soybean hulls ad libitum for 59 d. Lambs had access to clean water at all times from water fountains. Lambs were weighed on d -1, 1, 14, and 59. On d 59, 16 lambs (8 lambs/treatment) were harvested in the South Dakota State University Meat Lab. Hot carcass weight (HCW), dressing percent (DP), rib fat, body wall thickness, loin eye area, boneless closely trimmed retail cut percentages, and yield grades were recorded. Final body weight (BW), cumulative ADG, and gain efficiency were greater (p ≤ 0.01) for implanted lambs by 2.9%, 25.0%, and 35.2%, respectively, while dry matter intake (DMI) was unaffected by implant treatment (p = 0.18); thus, the efficiency of dietary net energy utilization was increased for IMP (p ≤ 0.01). No appreciable differences were noted (p ≥ 0.17) between treatments for any carcass traits measured. These results indicate that zeranol improves growth performance in heavy finishing lambs without detriment to carcass quality, which implies that producers can improve profitability due to increased gains and efficiency. Full article

Mastitis is one of the main diseases that affects dairy cattle. It is characterized by a multifactorial disease with multiple etiologies including microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts, and algae. Mastitis caused by Mycoplasma spp. results in a contagious nature of infection and has been studied much in Brazil. The objectives of this research were (1) to investigate in clinical mastitis milk samples, by conventional PCR, the presence of the following mycoplasma species: Mycoplasma (M.) bovis, M. bovirhinis, M. bovigenitalium, M. californicum, and M. alkalescens and (2) compare the PCR Mollicutes detection rates using previous concentration and homogenization steps of the milk samples. Of the 993 clinical mastitis milk samples analyzed, 13.7% (136/993) and 8.0% (80/993) were positive for the Mollicutes class after concentration and homogenization, respectively, and all of them were PCR-negative for the five species investigated. Of the 70 expansion milk tanks analyzed, all of them were PCR-negative for the Mollicutes class. The importance of the previous concentration of milk in the routine of molecular analysis was evidenced when compared to the results obtained only with homogenization. Full article

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) significantly, negatively impact livestock worldwide, and their control depends on the use of chemotherapy drugs. However, this approach is unsustainable as anthelmintic resistance (AR) is growing widespread. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the historical and current data published on AR in domestic ruminants in Brazil. Alternative measures of GIN control have been discussed to provide helpful information to prevent the development of AR in the country. This review consisted of a search of technical and scientific publications between January 1960 to January 2023, using online sources such as PubMed, Scielo and Google Scholar. Eighty-three articles published over the last six decades reporting AR in sheep (n = 43), goats (n = 20) and cattle (n = 20) were included. A total of 37.3%, 25.4% and 37.3% evaluated one, two and three or more molecule classes, respectively. Among all studies, 82.1% used fecal egg count reduction test as a method of AR diagnosis. In conclusion, AR is an urgent and emerging issue for ruminant production in Brazil. It is necessary to evaluate on a large scale the distribution and management of anthelmintic drugs and discuss strategies that delay this phenomenon’s development. Full article

This study analyzed the cattle trade network in Paraná, Brazil, for the years 2018 and 2019 to identify potential movement patterns that could contribute to the spread of brucellosis among farms. The brucellosis statuses of 1757 farms were incorporated into the analysis. Network parameters of farms with a known brucellosis infection status were statistically compared between infected and non-infected farms using traditional techniques and the quadratic assignment procedure. A multilinear regression model (MLR) was used to consider known risk factors for brucellosis infection in conjunction with the network parameters. The cattle trade network in Paraná during the study period comprised 115,296 farms linked by 608,807 cattle shipments. The movement pattern was marked by a high concentration of movements to and from a small percentage of farms. The existence of such highly connected farms could facilitate the transmission of communicable diseases via the cattle trade in Paraná. The trading communities in Paraná exhibited a spatial pattern, with proximate farms more likely to engage in trade. Brucellosis-infected farms traded more frequently than non-infected farms (odds ratio [OR] 3.61), supplied cattle to other farms more often than the regional average (OR 2.12), and received more cattle (OR 2.78). The in-degree and out-degree were associated with brucellosis infection on the farm. The mean shortest path between infected farms was significantly shorter than that between non-infected farms (4.14 versus 4.49, p = 0.004, OR 1.39). In the MLR, a higher out-degree was positively associated with infected farms after accounting for previously identified risk factors. This novel information offers insights into the factors driving the current endemic situation in the study area and can inform the development of targeted animal health policies. Full article

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo effects of a novel direct-fed microbial (DFM) containing Lactobacillus animalis LA-51, Propionibacterium freudenreichii PF-24, Bacillus licheniformis CH-200, and Bacillus subtilis King (BOVAMINE DEFEND^® Plus) against Clostridium perfringens pathogenic strains. In Experiment 1 (in vitro), an agar diffusion assay was performed to qualitatively evaluate the in vitro inhibitory effects of the DFM against C. perfringens types A and C. Including the DFM in the tested yielded inhibition zones with greater than three ring diameters in a 96-well plate. In Experiment 2 (in vivo), twenty 1-day-old beef calves were allocated to control (n = 10) or DFM (n = 10) for 21 days. All calves were orally challenged with 1.0 × 10⁸ colony forming units of C. perfringens type A strain S-107 per head. The procedures such as general health scores, body weight, and fecal sample collections were performed following the C. perfringens challenge. Daily feeding of DFM significantly reduced the incidence of diarrhea while improving general impression and appearance scores of calves. Overall, these results highlight the ability of the DFM containing L. animalis LA-51, P. freudenreichii PF-24, B. licheniformis CH-200, and B. subtilis (BOVAMINE DEFEND^® Plus) to inhibit C. perfringens types A and C under different experimental settings. Full article

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that has a cosmopolitan geographical distribution, reported in domestic and wild animals, which act as reservoirs and contribute to the spread of microorganisms in the environment. In Brazil, studies on the occurrence of leptospirosis in buffaloes in the Amazon Biome are scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the occurrences of antibodies against Leptospira spp., including serovar Hardjo (Bolivia), isolated from cattle in Brazil and not yet tested in buffaloes. A total of 387 blood serum samples of animals from nine municipalities on Marajó Island, State of Pará, northern Brazil, were obtained from a biological sample bank and analyzed using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Serology revealed 91.5% (387/354) of the animals tested positive for anti-Leptospira antibodies. The presence of various detected serovars may have been related to the local practice of combined rearing of different livestock species, as well as to the contact with wild animals and rodents from adjacent forest areas, all factors that likely facilitated the epidemiological chain of the disease in buffaloes. Among the serovars tested, the serovar Hardjo (Bolivia) was the most prevalent, which was present in 79.3% of the reactive buffaloes. It was important to carry out serological and bacteriological surveys in order to identify the serovars that occurred in the herds, with the objective of designing efficient strategies to control leptospirosis in the production of buffaloes. Full article

Murrah buffalo and Nellore cattle meat commercialized in Southeastern Brazil were evaluated during aging. Ribeye steaks (Longissimus thoracis muscle) were analyzed during four wet aging times (0, 7, 14, and 21 days) stored at 2 ± 1 °C. The water holding capacity (WHC) decreased (p < 0.05) during aging (0.41 to 0.28), with buffalo meat having (p < 0.05) lower pH and a higher WHC than beef. Lower myofibrillar fragmentation index and shear force (WBsSF) values were observed (p < 0.05) in buffalo meat. Soluble collagen content increased (p < 0.05) during aging, with lower (p < 0.05) values in buffalo meat. Buffalo meat had (p < 0.05) higher metmyoglobin percentages, being darker (lower L* values) and with a higher red color intensity (higher C* values) than beef. There was a difference between buffalo meat and beef volatile compound profiles, with greater variation in the beef profile during aging, probably due to differences in lipid oxidation and proteolysis. It can be concluded that buffalo meat is very similar to that of Zebu cattle, with less variation during aging and greater tenderness than beef. Therefore, buffalo meat is a good alternative source for fresh marketing and processing of high-quality meat products. Full article