Lipid stability and meat colour of beef from pasture- and grain-fed cattle with or without vitamin E supplement

• Published in: Meat science 2002, Vol.60 (1), p.41-50
• Main Authors: Yang, A, Lanari, M.C, Brewster, M, Tume, R.K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal productions; Biological and medical sciences; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lipid oxidation; Meat and meat product industries; Meat colour; Pasture- and grain-fed beef; Sorghum; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates; Vitamin E supplementation
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/S0309-1740(01)00103-6

Meat from pasture-fed cattle can have high contents of α-tocopherol and other anti-oxidants originating from naturally occurring compounds present in grasses. However, meat from pasture-fed cattle may have an increased demand for endogenous anti-oxidants because of its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which in turn, may affect its colour and lipid stability. In the work described, we evaluated the effects of pasture-feeding alone and with vitamin E supplementation and compared the findings with those obtained for grain-fed cattle (predominantly sorghum) with and without supplementation. Within each nutritional background, vitamin E supplementation did not alter meat colour or colour stability of fresh or 47-day aged muscle during 7-day aerobic storage. However, both control and supplemented grain-fed product had better meat colour (more redness) compared with meat from grass-fed cattle. These differences in redness between pasture- and grain-fed fresh beef were not apparent after ageing. The treatments did not affect the lipid stability of fresh meat during aerobic storage; however, supplementation reduced ( P