본 연구는 허브부식토 급여가 비육우의 증체 및 육질개선 효과를 조사하기 위해 대조구, 허브부식토제제 첨가구(허브초탄, T1), 코팅 비타민 C제제 첨가구(Vit. C, T2) 및 코팅 비타민 C제제와 허브부식토제제 혼합 첨가구(허브초탄+Vit. C, T3)로 나누고 공시동물은 각 시험구당 5두씩 임의 배치하여 수행하였다. 개시체중은 대조구, T1, T2 및 T3구에서 각각 $689{\pm}31$, $661{\pm}24$, $659{\pm}32$ 및 $622{\pm}19kg$이었으며, 종료 체중을 계산한 일당증체량은 T3구에서 대조구와 비교하여 8.3% 높았으며, T1 및 T2구에서도 대조구와 비교하여 약 2.9% 높았다. 실험 경과 후 BUN은 T2구에서 T3구와 비교하여 유의하게 높게 나타났으나(p<0.05), glucose, AST, ALT 및 총 단백질 함량은 차이가 없었다. 도체등급 판정에 의한 도체중, 등지방두께, 근내지방, 등심단면적, 육량지수 및 육질등급을 조사하였으나 처리구간 유의한 차이는 없었다. 그러나 등심의 조지방 함량은 T1, T2, 및 T3에서 각각 9.92, 14.69 및 13.00%로 T2구에서 대조구 및 T1구보다 높게 나타났다. 도체의 지방산 조성은 linoleic acid(C18:2n6) 경우 대조구와 비교하여 T3에서 유의하게 낮은 경향을 보였지만, ${\gamma}$linoleic acid(C18:3n6)은 T3구에서 다른 처리구와 비교하여 가장 높은 함량은 나타냈다. 전반적인 실험의 결과를 종합하여 볼 때 부식토 급여가 육질 등급을 다소 개선하는 경향이 있었으나, 육량 및 육질 향상을 위한 비육 전기간 부식토를 급여하는 연구가 추 후 이루어져야 할 것으로 판단된다.
The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding herbaceous peat on growth performance and meat quality of Holstein beef cattle. Total of 20 Holstein beef cattle (18~20 month of age, $657{\pm}31kg$ body weight) were conventionally and separately fed a concentrate diet and rice straw for 134 days. The dietary treatments were randomly assigned by complete block design into four treatments, each of which were five heads in early fattening stage. The treatments in this study were the control group fed basal diet, feeding herbaceous peat group (5%/diet, T1), feeding coated vitamin C group (20g/head, T2) and feeding mixture of herbaceous peat and coated vitamin C group (5%/diet+20g/head, T3). The initial body weights between the groups of control, T1, T2 and T3 were similar showing with $689{\pm}31$, $661{\pm}24$, $659{\pm}32$ and $622{\pm}19kg$. The daily body weight gain was higher in T3 by 8.3% than that in the control (p<0.05). Glucose concentration in control group was the highest among treatments (p<0.05), but there was no significant differences between treatments on AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), BUN and total protein concentrations of blood. The fat content of sirloin in the T2 was significantly higher than control and T1 group (p<0.05). Meat color (CIE) values in T2 was the highest among treatments (p<0.05), and other treatments also increased those values. In overall, the feeding herbaceous peat and vitamin C to the Holstein beef cattle was considered to have positive effects on the growth performance of Holstein beef cattle. In addition, the effects on the performances of animals were more improved when fed herbaceous peat and vitamin C concurrently.