Introduction Consumer preferences for meat products have recently focused on health-related functionality rather than marbling score in terms of meat quality (1). Due to its beneficial effects in lowering the risk of metabolic disorders including diabetes, arteriosclerosis, and cancer, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been the subject of beef product research (2). CLA is found predominantly in the milk and meat of ruminants and originates from the process of microbial hydrogenation of either C 18:2 (linoleic acid) or C 18:3 (linolenic acid) into C 18:0 (stearic acid) (3). The total amount of CLA in animal products varies greatly depending on what animals eat; supplementation of ruminant rations with vegetable oils rich in linoleic and linolenic acids increases the CLA content in their meat (4). Soybean, the most widely used feed ingredient, is rich in protein and fat and provides the essential amino acids and fatty acids, especially unsaturated fatty acids (5). Enhanced ruminal CLA content was observed through supplementation with either linseed or fish oil (6). Feeding cattle with high-oil corn (7) or soybean oil (8) had no effect on CLA production. Administration of extruded full-fat soybean increased CLA content in the fat tissues of steers (9). Therefore, we hypothesized that full-fat soybean, which is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and highquality amino acids, would increase the CLA content in Hanwoo beef. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a full-fat soybean diet on performance, carcass characteristics, and CLA content of loin muscle in Hanwoo steers. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Animals, diets, and management The experiment was conducted at an experimental cattle farm in Gyeongbuk, Korea. Experimental animals were handled according to the guidelines of the National Institute of Animal Science, Korea. Thirty Hanwoo steers (BW: 653 ± 52.96 kg, age: 23.7 ± 0.2 months) were stratified by BW and age and randomly assigned to control or full-fat soybean diet groups. Steers were fed using Calan gates for individual intake measurement; diets consisted of a basal corn-based finishing diet (control) or control diet plus 5% full-fat soybean, which was replaced with 3% soybean meal and 2% coconut meal. Steers were kept