Using Bioelements Isotope Ratios and Fatty Acid Composition to Deduce Beef Origin and Zebu Feeding Regime in Cameroon.

Matteo Perini,Federica Camin,Silvia Pianezze,Mohamadou Bawe Nfor,Edi Piasentier

doi:10.3390/molecules26082155

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to address the lack of knowledge regarding the stable isotopic composition of beef from zebu cattle reared in tropical Africa. Sixty beef carcasses belonging to the most common zebu breeds (Goudali, white Fulani, and red Mbororo) were selected and classified according to their subcutaneous fat color (white, cream or yellow). The stable isotope ratios of five bioelements—H, O, C, N, and S—in muscle fractions and the fatty acids composition were analyzed. Zebu meat from Cameroon shows peculiar δ13C values, related to the almost exclusive intake of grazed tropical grasses with photosynthetic cycle C4. It also shows δ2H and δ18O values higher than those reported in other areas of the world and correlated with the isotopic composition of animal drinking water. The white subcutaneous fat (“white type”) zebu showed higher δ2H and lower δ13C than the “yellow type”, that is correlated with a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and a lower amount of saturated fatty acid (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA). Multielement analysis seems to provide promising results for tracing the regional origin of Cameroon beef and some aspects of the livestock system, such as the nutritional status of the animals.

Highlights

Zebu (Bos taurus indicus) is a subspecies of domestic cattle, originally coming from South Asia
The carbon stable isotope ratios of Cameroonian beef defatted dry matter (δ13CDFDM = −11.8‰ ± 1.22‰; Table 1) fall in the highest part of the range of values reported in the literature
2H enrichment and 13C depletion were significantly correlated with a high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content (Table 3), while 2H depletion and 13C enrichment were correlated with a high saturated fatty acid (SFA) content

Summary

Introduction

Zebu (Bos taurus indicus) is a subspecies of domestic cattle, originally coming from South Asia. Compared to the taurine cattle (Bos taurus taurus), known as the European cattle, zebu are well adapted to the hot and dry environment of the tropics and show an appreciable tolerance to endemic diseases [2,3]. Seventy percent of Cameroon population is economically dependent on agriculture, essentially represented by livestock production, which is dominated by zebu and crossbreeds (European taurine × zebu and African taurine × zebu). In this context, the taurine local cattle faces extinction due to the widespread and uncontrolled crossbreeding [5]. Paguem et al characterized the whole genome of Bos indicus indicus breed of Cameroon focusing on their adaptive phenotypic traits and pathogen resistance [12]

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