Effects of whole cottonseed on performance, carcass characteristics, and Escherichia coli O157 shedding of finishing beef steers

Whole cottonseed has been used extensively in dairy cattle diets for many years; however, its use in the beef industry has been comparatively limited, despite its high protein and fat content. Previous research has suggested that whole cottonseed may decrease the shedding of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle (Hancock et al., 1994; Garber et al., 1995). Decreasing the prevalence of this organism at the production level may help decrease the incidence of carcass contamination as well as disease outbreaks in the human population. Therefore, the possible benefits of whole cottonseed in the beef finishing diet may be twofold: 1) it could provide an alternative source of protein and fat in the diet without detrimental effects on animal performance; and 2) it might provide a possible method to decrease the prevalence of E. coli O157 that could be readily implemented in practice. The present study was designed to examine the effects of feeding whole cottonseed on performance, carcass characteristics, and the prevalence of E. coli O157 in the feces and on hides before slaughter of finishing beef steers.