The effect of supplementing grass silage with fishmeal on growth, muscle composition and the rate of muscle protein synthesis was investigated in young Friesian steers with and without oestradiol implants. The effect of the β-adrenergic agonist cimaterol was simultaneously investigated in animals fed on silage alone. Treatments lasted for 9 or 10 weeks. Fishmeal supplementation significantly increased animal growth rates (P < 0.001) and the weights of three dissected muscles (P < 0.001) compared with the silage-fed controls. These effects were further enhanced in animals also implanted with oestradiol. Muscle weights expressed as a proportion of body-weight were increased by fishmeal, suggesting that protein deposition had been enhanced. No further increase in the proportional muscle weights was obtained with oestradiol. Muscle dry matter content tended to be increased in both implanted and non-implanted animals receiving fishmeal compared with controls, but the proportions of protein, fat and ash were relatively constant. The intramuscular lipid composition was slightly altered by fishmeal. Muscle protein fractional synthetic rates (FSR), measured by continuous infusion of [3H]tyrosine, were increased by fishmeal in all three muscles of both implanted and non-implanted animals. There were no differences, however, due to oestradiol, over non-implanted fishmeal animals. This suggests that oestradiol may increase muscle accretion by reducing protein degradation rate. Cimaterol significantly increased longissimus dorsi (P < 0.05) and vastus lateralis (P < 0.01) muscle weights but had no effect on semitendinosus muscle weight or live-weight gain. The proportion of protein was increased (P <0.001) and the fat content reduced (P < 0.05) in all three muscles but intramuscular lipid composition was not markedly affected. Whilst methylhistidine: creatinine excretion was reduced by cimaterol, FSR were increased in the I. dorsi and v. lateralis muscles suggesting β-agonists have effects on both protein synthesis and protein degradation.
