Effects of feeding flaxseed or sunflower-seed in high-forage diets on beef production, quality and fatty acid composition

Citation

Mapiye, C., Aalhus, J.L., Turner, T.D., Rolland, D.C., Basarab, J.A., Baron, V.S., McAllister, T.A., Block, H.C., Uttaro, B., Lopez-Campos, O., Proctor, S.D., Dugan, M.E.R. (2013). Effects of feeding flaxseed or sunflower-seed in high-forage diets on beef production, quality and fatty acid composition. Meat Science, [online] 95(1), 98-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2013.03.033

Abstract

Yearling steers were fed 70:30 forage:concentrate diets for 205. d, with either grass hay (GH) or red clover silage (RC) as the forage source, and concentrates containing either sunflower-seed (SS) or flaxseed (FS), each providing 5.4% oil to diets. Feeding diets containing SS versus FS significantly improved growth and carcass attributes (P<. 0.05), significantly reduced meat off-flavor intensity (P<. 0.05), and significantly increased intramuscular proportions of vaccenic (t11-18:1), rumenic (c9,. t11-CLA) and n-. 6 fatty acids (FA, P<. 0.05). Feeding diets containing FS versus SS produced significantly darker and redder meat with greater proportions of atypical dienes (P<. 0.05). A significant forage. ×. oilseed type interaction (P<. 0.05) was found for n-. 3 FA, α-linolenic acid, and conjugated linolenic acid, with their greatest intramuscular proportions found when feeding the RC-FS diet. Feeding GH versus RC also significantly improved growth and carcass attributes, sensory tenderness (P<. 0.05) and significantly influenced intramuscular FA composition (P<. 0.05), but overall, forage effects on FA profiles were limited compared to effects of oilseed. © 2013.