Resumen
- In Brazil, mineral deficiency is important in health and production and the supplementation has a significant cost. The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of phosphorus supplementation (PS) chemical and physical parameters from the 12th rib of feedlot Nellore bulls. Forty-two animals were distributed in a completely randomized design consisting of three treatments and 14 replicates. The treatments consisted of no supplementary phosphorus (P; T1; 2.4 g P/kg DM), a commercial mineral supplement formulated according to recommendations from the main Brazilian industries of mineral supplements for feedlot beef cattle (T2; 4.2 g P/kg DM) and dicalcium phosphate (T3; 5.0 g P/kg DM) in high-grain diets. The animals submitted or not to PS had similar calcium (Ca) and P values, Ca:P ratio, specific gravity and bone mineral density in the 12th rib. PS for Nellore bulls, fed high proportions of concentrate during the feedlot period, resulted in no benefits in neither chemical nor physical properties of their bones and the level in the control diet appeared adequate in these circumstances.