Finishing strategies for steers based on pasture or silage plus grain and time on feed and their effects on beef quality

Abstract

The physicochemical and sensory attributes and the fatty acid composition of the longissimus lumborum muscle were determined. The beef from pasture-fed animals tended to be tenderer, darker, less red, and with yellower fat than the beef from grain-fed steers. The beef from steers fed wheat plus silage for 75 d had lower tenderness scores than beef from steers fed for 35 d on grain plus silage. The beef from pasture-fed steers had higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid c-9 t-11 and n-3 fatty acids and a lower n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratio than the beef from grain-fed steers. The time fed on grain plus silage had a significant effect on the fatty acid composition of the beef from steers fed wheat, but no similar effect was observed in beef from steers fed oats. However, the n-6:n-3 ratio of beef was more favorable when steers were fed grain (wheat or oats) plus silage for 35 d than for 75 d.

Grain supplementation of calves as an alternative beef production system to pasture-finished steers in Chilean Patagonia: meat quality and fatty acid composition

“… Demirel et al (2006) indicated that it is difficult to increase the P/S ratio when ruminants are fed either grass hay or concentrate, whereas the n-6/n-3 ratio in meat is more influenced by the diet. Similar n-6/n-3 ratios have been reported by other authors in grass-fed beef ( Schor et al, 2008 ; De la Fuente et al, 2009 ; Aldai et al, 2011 ; Morales et al, 2012 , 2015 ).…”

“…In the present study meat from steers showed higher content of intramuscular fat compared to meat from calves. However, meat from both, steers and calves, was leaner in comparison with intramuscular fat content previously reported from steers finished on temperate pastures (2.21% to 2.42%; Morales et al, 2012 , 2015 ), and from dairy bulls finished on concentrates (1.94%, Catrileo et al, 2014 ) in the South of Chile. The intramuscular fat content has been shown to be directly related to the extent of concentrate-finishing period ( Wood et al, 2008 ).…”

Desarrollo histórico de la denominación Novillo de Osorno. Una revisión

“…En cuanto a la calidad, posee características propias de una carne producida a pastoreo como un bajo contenido de grasa intramuscular (2%-3%), una relación entre los ácidos grasos omega-3 y omega-6 inferior a 4, y un contenido de ácido linoleico mayor que la carne obtenida a partir de otros sistemas de alimentación (Morales et al, 2012;Morales et al, 2015), siendo estos parámetros de calidad una ventaja comparado a otros modos de producción de carne bovina.…”

Seasonal and Annual Changes in the Quality of Native Rangeland Selected by Grazing Steers in Northern Mexico

“…Some studies report that, as a result of drastic climate change, the animals in the northern region of Mexico have periods of 90 to 100 days of favorable grazing conditions, and if the number of days is reduced, the survival of these animals may be in danger (Navarro et al, 2002). In general terms, the nutritional value of forage is the result of intrinsic plant factors such as the chemical composition, digestibility, and environmental factors, as well as the inherent factors of the animal and the interaction between the forages, the animals and the environment (Balseca et al, 2015;Morales et al, 2015). Under long-term drought conditions, the evaluation of the chemical composition of the diet of grazing cattle acquires relevance due to the seasonal variations in the nutrient content of the diet selected by the animals.…”