Fatty Acid Profiles of Orchardgrass, Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, and Alfalfa

Abstract

Recent research shows that the meat from beef animals finished on pasture has greater concentrations of omega‐3 fatty acid (FA) and conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) compared with animals finished on high‐concentrate diets. However, little is known about the FA concentrations in forage that might alter these FA in the meat of pasture‐finished beef. The objective was to determine the FA variation between and within forage species commonly grown in pastures in the Midwest. A secondary objective was to identify phenotypic characteristics that may be associated with individual FA. The forages analyzed included multiple cultivars of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire = Schedonorus phoenix (Scop.) Holub], perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and alfalfa [Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa and falcata (L.) Arcang.]. Grasses had higher amounts of α‐linolenic (C18:3) acid compared with alfalfa. Conversely, alfalfa had larger amounts of linoleic acid (C18:2) than did the grasses. Correlations between phenotypic traits and specific FA were found; plant total chlorophyll had the greatest correlation to total FA concentration. Overall, there is not a large amount of within‐species variation that breeders could use to make large changes in FA concentrations.

Fatty acid profile in two berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) cultivars: Preliminary study of the effect of part of plant and phenological stage

“…In fact, CP content is positively correlated with total FA content (R 2 = 0.78; P < 0.001 data not shown), and with total UFA content (R 2 = 0.75; P < 0.01) ( Figure 3) probably as result of the higher efficiency of lipid synthesis in the leaves than in stems, as reported by Mayland et al (1976). In fact a positive relationship has been found between chlorophyll and total FA, included PUFA in plant (Dierking et al 2010), and it is probable that chlorophyll will be an important criterion in plant breeding for manipulation of FA levels. A negative relationship was observed between WSC and EE (R 2 = À0.47, P < 0.01; data not shown) in agreement with Cabiddu et al (2000), Witkowska et al (2008) and Gregorini et al (2008), probably because during plant lipid metabolism some of the carbohydrate pool, generated by the photosynthetic cycle, is complexed with FA to produce polar lipids, in particular phospholipids and glycolipids (Hawke 1973).…”

“…In fact a positive relationship has been found between chlorophyll and total FA, included PUFA in plant (Dierking et al . ), and it is probable that chlorophyll will be an important criterion in plant breeding for manipulation of FA levels. A negative relationship was observed between WSC and EE ( R 2 = −0.47, P < 0.01; data not shown) in agreement with Cabiddu et al .…”

The effects of feeding various forages on fatty acid composition of bovine milk fat: A review

“…On the contrary, Boufaied et al (2003a) observed a higher content of linoleic, ALA and total fatty acids in cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) and timothy (Phleum pratense) in summer regrowth than in spring cut. Similarly, reported a higher concentration of ALA in cocksfoot, timothy and red clover (Trifolium pra-tense) in summer regrowth, while there were Dierking et al (2010) comparable levels in lucerne (Medicago sativa) from both cuts. A progressive increase in total FAs and in the proportion of ALA was observed in the stay-green trait of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) from early to late season (Dewhurst et al, 2002).…”

Changes in fatty acid content and composition in silage maize during grain filling

“…The different covariance structures of repeated matrices for FA content in stover (model 1) and ears (model 2) were evaluated according to Littell et al 24 and Wang and Goonewardene25 using the Akaike information criterion and the Schwarz Bayesian criterion. A heterogeneous compound symmetry was the best fit for model 1, while ANTE26 was the best fit for model 2.…”