Effect of Integration of Linseed and Vitamin E in Charolaise × Podolica Bulls’ Diet on Fatty Acids Profile, Beef Color and Lipid Stability

Valeria Maria Morittu,Raffaella Tudisco,Anselmo Poerio,Domenico Britti,Anna Antonella Spina,Francesco Vincenzo Oliverio,Piera Iommelli

doi:10.3390/agriculture11111032

Valeria Maria Morittu, Raffaella Tudisco + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11111032

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Abstract

Dietary supplementation with oilseeds improves the fatty acid profiles of meat, but results are often inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the effects of dietary linseed and vitamin E supplementation on fatty acid profile, cholesterol content and color stability of beef samples. Dorsal subcutaneous fat samples were subjected to lipid stability assessment. Eighteen young bulls (385 ± 15 kg BW, age 8–9 months) were allocated into three homogeneous groups, each receiving ad libitum wheat straw and concentrate only (CON = 5.5 kg/day), concentrate with linseed (LIN = 80 g/kg, i.e., 440 g/head/day), and concentrate with linseed plus vitamin E (L + E = 80 g/kg, i.e., 440 g/head/day + 2500 IU/head/day of Vitamin E). Group L+E showed significantly lower cholesterol content, lower n-6/n-3 ratio and a higher PUFA percentage compared to the CON group. Meat color was affected by feeding LIN with a decrease in a*, b*, and C* compared to the CON group. The experimental diets increased H° values compared to the CON group. A positive effect of vitamin E in protecting lipids of dorsal subcutaneous depots from oxidation was detected in group L+E compared to group LIN. The supplementation with extruded linseeds in the diet had positive effects on the nutritional profile of the meat. When vitamin E was included, linseed did not alter the color of meat, and the lipid stability of the subcutaneous fat improved.

Highlights

Consolidated human dietary recommendations suggest that saturated fatty acids (SFA) and cholesterol intake should be reduced and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intake should be increased, especially the n-3 series [1,2,3,4]
The average weight of the bulls at the start of the experiment did not differ among the groups, as well as the slaughter weight, there was a trend towards statistical significance (p = 0.09) for the initial live weight (Table 2)
We considered the result obtained to be encouraging in terms of stability of the color, despite the high content of intramuscular PUFA in experimental diets (Table 4)

Summary

Introduction

Consolidated human dietary recommendations suggest that saturated fatty acids (SFA) and cholesterol intake should be reduced and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intake should be increased, especially the n-3 series [1,2,3,4]. MUFA and PUFA can have important beneficial health effects, such as reducing hypercholesterolemia, and play essential metabolic roles in the prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases [3]. Oxidation of meat pigments is recognizable by the development of brown discoloration replacing the bright cherry-red color. This represents a problem, because color and fat are parameters directly related to the perception of beef quality that influence the consumer at the time of purchase [10]. One way to address these adverse effects is to enrich the diet of animals with antioxidants such as vitamin E, which has been demonstrated to alter ruminal PUFA hydrogenation in beef cattle [11]

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