Abstract
BackgroundMarbling, or intramuscular fat, is an important factor contributing to the palatability of beef. Vitamin A, through its active metabolite, retinoic acid, promotes the formation of new fat cells (adipogenesis). As intramuscular adipogenesis is active during the neonatal stage, we hypothesized that vitamin A administration during the neonatal stage would enhance intramuscular adipogenesis and marbling.MethodsAngus steer calves (n = 30), in a completely randomized design, were randomly allotted to three treatment groups at birth, receiving 0, 150,000, or 300,000 IU of vitamin A at both birth and one month of age. A biopsy of the biceps femoris muscle was collected at two months of age. After weaning at 210 d of age, steers were fed a backgrounding diet in a feedlot until 308 d of age, when they were transitioned to a high concentrate finishing diet and implanted with trenbolone/estradiol/tylosin mixture. Steers were harvested at an average of 438 d of age. All diets were formulated to meet nutrient requirements.ResultsWeaning weight and weight during the backgrounding phase were linearly increased (P < 0.05) by vitamin A level, though no difference in body weight was observed at harvest. Intramuscular fat of steers at 308 d of age, measured by ultrasound, quadratically increased (P < 0.05) with vitamin A level from 4.0±0.26 % to 4.9±0.26 %. Similarly, carcass marbling score in the ribeye quadratically increased (P < 0.05).ConclusionAdministration of vitamin A at birth increased weaning weight and enhanced marbling fat development. Thus, vitamin A administration provides a practical method for increasing marbling and early growth of beef cattle.
Highlights
Marbling, or intramuscular fat, is an important factor contributing to the palatability of beef
Cattle that received an injection of 150,000 international units (IU) or 300,000 IU of vitamin A exhibited greater
Marbling is a vital component of high quality beef, partially determining tenderness and palatability
Summary
Intramuscular fat, is an important factor contributing to the palatability of beef. Vitamin A, through its active metabolite, retinoic acid, promotes the formation of new fat cells (adipogenesis). As the major contributor to beef palatability, marbling, or intramuscular fat deficiency poses a major problem to both beef producers and beef consumers [1]. Marbling fat can be increased through both intramuscular adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy, of which. We hypothesized that injecting vitamin A during the neonatal stage would promote intramuscular adipocyte formation, providing sites for later marbling fat accumulation. Because skeletal muscle composes a large portion of beef carcasses, we hypothesized that neonatal vitamin A supplementation would increase muscle development and growth efficiency of steers
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