Effects of dietary extruded linseed (&lt;i&gt;Linum usitatissimum&lt;/i&gt; L.) on performance and meat quality in Podolian young bulls

S Tarricone,M Ragni,M.A Colonna,F Giannico,A Caputi Jambrenghi,A.M Facciolongo

doi:10.4314/sajas.v49i4.20

Abstract

This study compared effects of a diet containing 3% extruded linseed (EL) (Linum usitatissimum L.) with a control diet (C) on growth, carcass traits, and meat quality in young Podolian bulls. After 208 days on feed, the bulls were slaughtered at 18 months of age. Samples of Longissimus lumborum (Ll) were analysed to assess their physical and chemical parameters and intramuscular fatty acid composition. Average daily gain, feed intake and feed efficiency were not affected by treatments. Bulls fed EL (n = 6) had significantly greater final (612 kg versus 593 kg) and slaughter weights (583 kg versus 563 kg) than those fed C (n = 6). Compared with C, EL significantly increased percentages of lean from the pelvic limb (71.9% versus 69.3%) and of bone from the lumbar region (30.0 versus 27.1%). Meat pH recorded at slaughter was significantly greater for C than EL (6.7 versus 6.4). Diet did not affect meat colour, chemical composition and shear force of either the raw or cooked meat. Total amounts of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were not influenced by the diets. Concentrations of linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6) (3.30 versus 4.08) and total n-6 fatty acids (3.83 versus 4.73) were reduced by EL, while EL significantly enhanced linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3) (0.45 vs 0.20) and total n-3 fatty acids (1.64 versus 1.18) in the meat compared with C. Thus, dietary supplementation with 3% EL improved the amount of n-3 fatty acids in the meat from young Podolian bulls without affecting their performance.Keywords: carcass traits, fatty acids, feed efficiency, growth, meat colour

Highlights

Podolian cattle are an autochthonous breed, which belongs to the Hungarian grey steppe cattle group
The consumption of lean meat that is low in saturated fat and high monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is recommended (Lunn & Theobald, 2006; Scollan et al, 2014) to benefit human health by preventing cancer, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD), The World Health Organization (WHO) (2003) advises that there should be an optimal balance between intake of n-6 PUFAs and n-3 PUFAs, that is, 5–8% and 1–2% of daily energy intake, respectively
The bulls that were fed the extruded linseed diet had a greater final bodyweight than the control group (P

Summary

Introduction

Podolian cattle are an autochthonous breed, which belongs to the Hungarian grey steppe cattle group. They are reared primarily in southern Italy and are well adapted to the environment, displaying longevity and disease resistance (Braghieri et al, 2009). Red meats have often been associated with cardiovascular disease owing to their high saturated fatty acid (SFA) content (McAfee et al, 2010; Salter, 2013). The consumption of lean meat that is low in saturated fat and high monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is recommended (Lunn & Theobald, 2006; Scollan et al, 2014) to benefit human health by preventing cancer, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD), The World Health Organization (WHO) (2003) advises that there should be an optimal balance between intake of n-6 PUFAs and n-3 PUFAs, that is, 5–8% and 1–2% of daily energy intake, respectively. Alternative animal feeding strategies need to be developed that would

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