Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
4.4.2 QUALITY DIFFERENCES OF BEEF PRODUCTS
The impacts of forage feeding on production and quality of the end-prod-
ucts of beef cattle are varied. It is generally accepted that steers finished in
a forage-based system have leaner, lighter carcasses (or must spend more
time on feed to reach equivalent carcass weights) and may produce beef
with a greater intensity of off-flavor, compared to those from grain-based
systems [76-79]. Some direct comparisons of grain- and grass-finished
beef have reported undesirable eating characteristics (specifically tender-
ness and juiciness) of forage finished beef, but these studies were con-
founded by age at slaughter or plane of nutrition effects [80-82]. Duckett
et al. [77] compared forage (alfalfa, pearl millet or mixed pasture) and
grain-based (corn-silage) finishing diets on carcass and meat quality of
Angus-cross steers when finished to an equal time point. As expected, the
authors found forage-finished steers to have 46% less total fat on the 9th to
11th rib section. No differences in meat quality and eating quality param-
eters, including juiciness and overall tenderness, were reported between
the finishing systems; however, a trained sensory panel found a tendency
for the forage-finished beef to have a greater intensity of off-flavor [77].
Increasing the vitamin E content of beef, specifi cally through grass
feeding, has been suggested as a potential method to stabilize some of
the negative sensory and storage effects associated with altered fatty acid
content of forage fi nished beef [83]. Further research has focused on the
impacts of forage fi nishing on altering fatty acid composition of beef prod-
ucts, specifi cally reducing SFA content, improving the omega-6 to ome-
ga-3 FA ratio, enhancing CLA content and increasing B-vitamins and anti-
oxidants. Beef from cattle produced in forage-based systems have a lower
overall fat content and greater omega-3 FA and CLA content compared to
beef from cattle fi nished using grain-based diets [77,83-85]. Moreover,
vitamin E and β-carotene concentrations have been found to be greater in
beef fi nished on pasture compared to traditional fi nishing programs [84].
However, it is important to note that while the concentrations of benefi cial
fatty acids are greater in forage-fi nished beef, the total fat content is lower,
and therefore may impact the total amount (as mg/d) of benefi cial fatty
acids in whole cuts of beef. Additionally, while forage feeding increases
some benefi cial fatty acids that have been prominent topics in current
