Feeding microalgae (Schizochytrium limacinum) to beef steers increases meat omega-3 content

Mateus Alan Demeda,Lenise Freitas Mueller,Tiago Goulart Petrolli,Cintiamara Baggio,Letieri Griebler,Cristiane Regina Tomaluski,Karina A Mateus,Angélica Simone Cravo Pereira,Claiton André Zotti

doi:10.33448/rsd-v9i7.4568

Abstract

New alternatives to increase the content of polyunsaturated beef fat are necessary. Feed supplements like microalgae are a strategy to enrich meat with omega 3. The aim of the study was to evaluate growth performance, fatty acid profile of meat and carcass characteristics of steers fed with microalgae in the diet. Sixteen steers (mean weight 299.6 ± 7.4 kg, seven months) were randomly assigned to two groups: the control group (CTL) and the microalgae group (ALG; daily feeding of 1.7% of dry matter as microalgae). The diet (40% corn silage and 60% concentrate) was offered twice daily for 84 days. Microalgae supplementation was associated with a 4.44-fold increase in total omega-3 fatty acids in the longissimus thoracis and lumbar muscle, reflecting a 3.6-fold reduction in the omega-6: omega-3 ratio. The concentration of 20: 5n3 and 22: 6n3 increased by 7 and 20.5 times, respectively, with the addition of microalgae. However, microalgae decreased the consumption of dry matter (P <0.0001) by 16.5%, the average daily gain (P = 0.035) by 19.1% and the muscle water-holding capacity (P = 0.02) by 5.5% compared to control. The use of microalgae reduces growth performance, but does not alter the characteristics of the carcass and has the potential to improve the FA profile of the omega 3 series. Consumers may be attracted to increase their intake of polyunsaturated omega 3 fat from beef. These results can support the decision of nutritionists and farmers to use microalgae in beef cattle, as it becomes economically viable.

Highlights

Beef was considered to be harmful to human health because of its high content of saturated fatty acid (SFA), especially when compared to meat from fish and poultry (Ladeira e Oliveira, 2007)
The aim of the study was to determine whether the addition of Schizochytrium limacinum microalgae alters growth performance, carcass traits and beef quality
Similar results in DMI were obtained by De la Fuente et al (2014) using fish oil supplementation and by Burnett et al (2012), Borghi (2018) and Urrutia et al (2016) using microalgae supplementation. This reduction might be attributed to the lower palatability of the diet by animals because of the characteristic odor of the seaweed after mixing (Díaz et al, 2017)

Summary

Introduction

Beef was considered to be harmful to human health because of its high content of saturated fatty acid (SFA), especially when compared to meat from fish and poultry (Ladeira e Oliveira, 2007). Physicians recommend daily intake of foods that are sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Their intake is important because of the roles they play in growth, development, and physiological function (Das, 2006) and for their role in suppressing or preventing inflammation associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes (Das, 2008, Azrad et al, 2013). An alternative found to improve the quality of the products available to consumers is the use of microalgae in animal diets. Microalgae have been used in the animal feed industry since the 1970s; they are considered suitable alternatives for improving animal health, thereby improving the quality of their meat and meat products (Ścieszka and Klewicka, 2018)

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