OSU Finds Multiple Benefits
In Beef Cattle Feed Additive

By Fred Causley
Oklahoma State University

STILLWATER, Okla. — Since 1921, it has been known as 6-Ethoxy -1,2,2,4-trimethylquinolone. However, as the major ingredient in Agrado, a new beef cattle feed additive, it appears to be nothing short of amazing.

Agrado, produced by Solutia Inc. of St. Louis, and tested by animal nutritionists at Oklahoma State University, boasts the following pluses for the beef cattle industry:

• It prevents rancidity in feed and maintains feed energy.

• It reduces the odor of manure in feedlot situations.

• It reduces the number of liver abscesses in cattle.

• It lengthens the shelf life of beef, particularly ground beef.

• It increases feed efficiency.

Is that all? Perhaps not, because now OSU Regents Professor Fred Owens and graduate assistant Chuck Krumsiek are already planning studies to determine the effect of feeding Agrado to shipping-stressed cattle and on the performance of steers in commercial feedlots. They will work in collaboration with animal scientists Beth Kegley and Dianne Hellwig at the University of Arkansas.

"We started out with an eye on the shelf life enhancement this product might give, since we knew it had strong anti-oxidant properties like vitamin E, but at a fraction of the cost," Owens said.

"We really didn't know what to expect, but we weren't prepared for such a dramatic effect."

What they saw was the bright red meat color consumers prefer extended as much as 18 hours in steaks, and up to four days longer with ground beef.

Krumsiek said during the feeding trials, he noticed a slight decrease in feed intake, which caused some initial concern. However, at the end of the trial they found an eight percent increase in feed efficiency.

The organs of cattle in these types of trials are routinely checked for general healthfulness, Owens said, and as many as 20 percent of the livers have to be discarded due to abscesses. But the group receiving Agrado showed a one-third reduction in that problem.

Then came another surprise.

"One of the people caring for our barns noted the barns smelled better overall than they had prior to feeding Agrado," Krumsiek said.

So the researchers collected fecal samples, and — at the risk of stretching some friendships — actually had people open and sniff sealed cups of fecal samples.

"Our subjects reported a decreased odor in the samples from cattle receiving Agrado," Owens said. "We didn't believe it, so we repeated the study. The results were the same."

Owens said the anti-oxidant in Agrado is nothing new. It routinely has been incorporated into swine and poultry feeds for years. In addition, it has been used as a preservative on fruits, added to alfalfa meal to extend the green color, and used in fish meal to prevent rancidity.

"But it has never been available as a commercial product for beef cattle feed. This is a new application for an old product, one that should benefit all parties concerned — industry, producers and consumers," Owens said.