Enhancing the Nutritional Value of Red Meat through Genetic and Feeding Strategies

Abstract

Consumption of red meat contributes to the intake of many essential nutrients in the human diet including protein, essential fatty acids, and several vitamins and trace minerals, with high iron content, particularly in meats with high myoglobin content. Demand for red meat continues to increase worldwide, particularly in developing countries where food nutrient density is a concern. Dietary and genetic manipulation of livestock can influence the nutritional value of meat products, providing opportunities to enhance the nutritional value of meat. Studies have demonstrated that changes in livestock nutrition and breeding strategies can alter the nutritional value of red meat. Traditional breeding strategies, such as genetic selection, have influenced multiple carcass and meat quality attributes relevant to the nutritional value of meat including muscle and fat deposition. However, limited studies have combined both genetic and nutritional approaches. Future studies aiming to manipulate the composition of fresh meat should aim to balance potential impacts on product quality and consumer perception. Furthermore, the rapidly emerging fields of phenomics, nutrigenomics, and integrative approaches, such as livestock precision farming and systems biology, may help better understand the opportunities to improve the nutritional value of meat under both experimental and commercial conditions.

Nutritional Enhancement of Health Beneficial Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Muscle, Liver, Kidney, and Heart of Tattykeel Australian White MARGRA Lambs Fed Pellets Fortified with Omega-3 Oil in a Feedlot System

“…The demand for high quality meat is on the increase as consumer preferences for edible animal-based protein sources shift toward eating quality with increased human health benefits. Meat, an essential component of the human diet, is rich in nutrients including protein, fatty acids, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and B-complex vitamins [6][7][8]. Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) are essential fatty acids that play diverse roles in human health and disease prevention.…”

Progress on Nutrient Composition, Meat Standardization, Grading, Processing, and Safety for Different Types of Meat Sources

“…Two state-of-the-art extensive reviews are published on this topic, one [ 1 ] informing on the genetic and nutritional strategies available to enhance the nutritional quality of red meat (168 reviewed papers), and the other [ 2 ] attempting to characterize the quality and nutrient composition of meat produced in the tropics (147 reviewed papers). The original articles that dealt with the nutrient composition of meats and co-products, separately or concurrently with aspects of eating quality, were the results of research carried out in various countries, in different species and environments, including Chile [ 3 ] (the effect of supplementing pigs with brown seaweed on quality traits and nutrient composition of pork), Canada [ 4 ] (the impact of feedlot diets containing various levels of barley on the nutritional quality of Bos taurus beef), Spain and USA [ 5 ] (a comparison of the veal produced by bullock calves in the Pyrenees [PGI-Certified Ternera de Navarra ( CTNA )] and US Angus certified beef), Colombia [ 6 ] (characterization of the lipid profile of visceral fats by-products of chicken), and Venezuela [ 7 ] (multivariate relationships between nutrient composition and carcass characteristics of Bos indicus -type cattle raised on pasture in a tropical environment).…”

“…Juárez et al [ 1 ] update us on the available genetic and nutritional strategies to enhance the nutritional quality of red meat (beef, lamb, and pork). This subject is particularly pertinent today, given the numerous studies suggesting that red meat consumption may have negative effects on human health and the environment.…”

“…This review identifies information gaps on the evaluation of genetic parameters related to meat composition, as well as multiple bioethical challenges linked to new trends in genetic engineering, while also demonstrating that much progress has been achieved regarding the dietary manipulation of the nutrient content of meat. The authors [ 1 ] note that most studies used approaches that independently assess the impact of genetics or nutritional strategies, but few explored the interactions between these two factors.…”

“…The most notable findings suggesting potential benefits in genetic manipulation [ 1 ] were: (a) differences between breeds or heritability values reported for concentrations of certain vitamins (E and B) and minerals (copper, total iron (myoglobin), and selenium) in beef; there are no reports on the heritability of vitamin A content in muscle, (b) genetic manipulation of zinc content in lambs and pigs, uncertain in cattle, (c) highly variable heritability values are reported for total protein content and individual amino acids, (d) there is the potential to manipulate individual amino acid concentrations by genetic and dietary means, (e) well-known differences between and within breeds in terms of total variability of intramuscular fat (IMF), with very obvious cases of genetic groups with greater levels of marbling [ 1 ], and (f) genetics not appearing as a primary factor in the accumulation and proportions of trans fatty acids in beef.…”