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Fatty acids and secondary metabolites can predict grass-finished beef and supplemental cattle feeds.

Authors :
Krusinski, Lucas
Maciel, Isabella C. F.
van Vliet, Stephan
Ahsin, Muhammad
Adams, Julianna
Lu, Guanqi
Bitler, Chad A.
Rowntree, Jason E.
Fenton, Jenifer I.
Source :
NPJ Science of Food; 10/4/2024, Vol. 8 Issue 1, p1-12, 12p
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Beef raised using rotational grazing practices on biodiverse pastures offers potential benefits to animal and environmental health and can improve the nutrient density of meat to favor human health. However, many cattle producers contend with the seasonal unavailability of fresh forage, necessitating the utilization of supplementary feeds or indoor feeding. The objective of this study was to profile secondary metabolites and fatty acids in grass-finished beef supplemented with different feeds (4.5 kg/head/day) and to explore the potential for grass-finished beef authentication. In this two-year study, steers (n = 115) were randomly allocated to one of four diets: 1) pastured/supplemented with hay (control group), 2) pastured/supplemented with baleage, 3) pastured/supplemented with soybean hulls, or 4) baleage/soybean hulls in confinement. Secondary metabolites and fatty acids were measured using UHPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS, respectively. Of the 94 measured metabolites, pyridoxine, alpha-tocopherol, hippuric acid, and gallic acid differed between diets (p < 0.05 for all). Based on random forest classification, beef from the pasture/hay, pasture/baleage, pasture/soybean hulls, and confinement baleage/soybean hulls groups could be identified with a predictive accuracy of 100%, 50%, 41%, and 97%, respectively. Although minimal significant differences were observed, our data indicate that certain supplemental feeds maintain favorable nutritional profiles of grass-finished beef. In addition, metabolomics can predict cattle on exclusively forage-based or feed-based diets with a high degree of certainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23968370
Volume :
8
Issue :
1
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
NPJ Science of Food
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
180106660
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-024-00315-5