Differences in intramuscular fatty acid profiles amongBos indicusand crossbredBos taurus × Bos indicusbulls finished on pasture or with concentrate feed in Brazil

Abstract

Bos indicus (n ¼ 67) and crossbred Bos taurus  Bos indicus (n ¼ 67) bulls were finished in extensive or intensive conditions to evaluate the effect of genetic differences and finishing system on the fatty acid (FA) composition of intramuscular fat. Finishing system had a more pronounced effect on FA profiles than the genetic group, but the two factors often interacted for both individual and groups of FA. When compared with animals finished intensively, those finished on pasture produced meat with higher concentration of CLA and polyunsaturated n-3 FA, in particular of 18:3, 20:5 and 22:5. Meat from animals finished intensively had higher amounts of 14:0, 16:0, 18:1 trans-10, 18:1 trans-11, monounsaturated trans FA and 18:2. When the two genetic groups were compared under intensive finishing, B. indicus animals showed lower amounts of 20:4 (synthesised from 18:2) and 20:5 (synthesised from 18:3), suggesting that they may have a lower ability in biochemical pathways involved in the metabolism of n-6 and n-3 long chain fatty acids. Overall, meat from animals finished on pasture had a higher amount of the FA considered desirable for human health. ARTICLE HISTORY

Body and meat characteristics of young bulls from Zebu Goudali of Cameroon and its crosses with the Italian Simmental

“…Overall, genotype had a limited effect on FA profile. Bressan et al (2016) showed higher level of CLA and MUFA in the intramuscular fat of beef of Bos indicus than that of crossbred Bos taurus  Bos indicus bulls, however, in agreement with the results of the present study, also these authors highlighted a minor effect of crossing on FA of beef. Gama et al (2013) reported a low impact of heterosis on FA profile of beef from bulls fed with pasture-based diets.…”

Physicochemical characterization and lipid profile of meat from crossbred

“…According to PINHO et al (2011), in animals finished on pasture, the lipid fraction is characterized for having larger quantities of polyunsaturated fatty acids. BRESSAN et al (2016) observed 47.29% SFA, 41.10% MUFA, and 10.82%…”

Discrimination of Meat Produced by Bos taurus and Bos indicus Finished under an Intensive or Extensive System

“…On the other hand, the ability to discriminate meats according to genetic group was not as reliable as it was for finishing system, and it was only feasible with good accuracy when FA profiles and physicochemical properties were combined in the discriminant function, where more than 95% of the samples could be correctly allocated to genetic group. The factors with higher discriminating ability in this case were microbial FA, n-3 FA, 17:0, 18:0 and cholesterol, largely reflecting the differences among taurus and indicus cattle in rumen biohydrogenation [ 12 , 32 ]. These results further indicate that, although tenderness is generally assumed to be, on average, less desirable in B. indicus meat [ 8 , 9 ], the variability observed among meat samples from different animals is quite large, such that the ability to discriminate meats according to their genetic group of origin is not feasible based on physicochemical properties alone.…”