Abstract
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•Dietary ZnO NPs, 11.25 and 22.50 mg/kg, increased meat yield in Shami goats.•Dietary ZnO NPs supplementation had a dose-dependent positive effect on meat yield.•Non-invasive ultrasound predicted the effects of dietary ZnO NP on Shami goat meat yield.
The higher bioavailability, lower toxicity, and lower potential environmental risks of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) compared to traditional sources of zinc (Zn) encouraged researchers to use it in animal diets. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary low ZnO NPs levels supplementation on the meat yield of Shami goats using ultrasound examination. A total of thirty healthy female Shami goats with an average body weight of 38.43 ± 1.94 kg at 2–3 years old were randomly distributed into three equal groups (10 goats/group). The first group was fed a basal diet (control), while the second and third groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with 11.25 mg/kg (T1) and 22.50 mg/kg (T2) dry matter (DM) of ZnO NPs, respectively, for 12 weeks. Longissimus dorsi muscle ultrasound evaluation at both the thoracic and lumbar regions revealed denser transverse process-related acoustic shadowing (TS), rib-related acoustic shadowing (RS), and muscular shadowing (MS) in goats supplemented with ZnO NPs, T1 and T2, compared to goats fed a control diet. Furthermore, ultrasound measurements of the thoracic and lumbar longissimus dorsi regions of goats supplemented with ZnO NPs at both levels revealed greater fat thickness, depth, perimeter, and area compared to animals fed a control diet (p < 0.05). This improved trend was dose-dependent, with T2 values being higher than T1 values (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the ultrasound assessment results showed that supplementing Shami goats with ZnO NPs at these two low levels enhanced meat yield.