Fatty Acid Composition of Grain- and Grass-Fed Beef and Their Nutritional Value and Health Implication

Abstract

Beef contains functional fatty acids such as conjugated linoleic acid and longchain fatty acids. This review summarizes results from studies comparing the fatty acid composition of beef from cattle fed either grass or grain-based feed. Since functional lipid components are contributed through dietary consumption of beef, the fatty acid composition is reported on mg/100 g of meat basis rather than on a percentage of total fat basis. Beef from grass-fed contains lesser total fat than that from grain-fed in all breeds of cattle. Reduced total fat content also influences the fatty acid composition of beef. A 100 g beef meat from grass-fed cattle contained 2,773 mg less total saturated fatty acids (SFA) than that from the same amount of grain-fed. Grass-fed also showed a more favorable SFA lipid profile containing less cholesterol-raising fatty acids (C12:0 to C16:0) but contained a lesser amount of cholesterol-lowering C18:0 than grain-fed beef. In terms of essential fatty acids, grass-fed beef showed greater levels of trans-vaccenic acid and long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; EPA, DPA, DHA) than grain-fed beef. Grass-fed beef also contains an increased level of total n-3 PUFA which reduced the n-6 to n-3 ratio thus can offer more health benefits than grain-fed. The findings signify that grass-fed beef could exert protective effects against a number of diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease (CVD) as evidenced by the increased functional omega-3 PUFA and decreased undesirable SFA. Although grain-fed beef showed lesser EPA, DPA, and DHA, consumers should be aware that greater portions of grain-fed beef could also achieve a similar dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Noteworthy, grain-fed beef contained higher total monounsaturated fatty acid that have beneficial roles in the amelioration of CVD risks than grass-fed beef. In Hanwoo beef, grain-fed showed higher EPA and DHA than grass-fed beef.

Effects of Dietary Energy Density in a Fermented Total Mixed Ration Formulated with Different Ratios of Rice Straw and Cassava Pulp on 2- or 14-Day-Aged Meat Quality, Collagen, Fatty Acids, and Ribonucleotides of Native Thai Cattle Longissimus Muscle

“…These results agree with other studies [ 59 , 60 , 61 ]. Oleic acid, a MUFA, is abundant in grain-fed beef, which could be considered an important dietary source of MUFAs for humans [ 62 ]. Higher amounts of oleic acid in beef may be beneficial because it can increase blood HDL cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) [ 30 ].…”

Fatty Acid and Micronutrient Profile of Longissimus Lumborum from Red Angus and Red Angus x Akaushi Cattle Finished on Grass or Grain

“…Angus was higher in LA compared to Wagyu when fed corn but was lower in LA when fed hay. GFB is known to be higher in n -3 PUFAs compared to conventional grain-finished beef [ 7 , 16 , 18 , 72 , 73 ]. The European Union considers a “source of omega-3 fatty acids” a food that contains at least 0.3 g of ALA per 100 g serving or at least 40 mg of EPA + DHA per 100 g serving, and a “good source of omega-3 fatty acids” a food that contains at least 0.6 g of ALA per 100 g serving or at least 80 mg of EPA + DHA per 100 g serving [ 74 ].…”

Carcass Characteristics and Beef Quality of Young Grass-Fed Angus x Salers Bovines

“…This fact can support our finding that the PUFA/SFA ratio of current animals was 0.23, which can be considered moderate, since beef PUFA/SFA ratio is generally low, around 0.1, except for very lean beef, where the PUFA/SFA ratio can be easily reach the recommended values for human nutrition (>0.4) [ 26 ]. By comparison of the current FA composition with that of grass-fed beef [ 37 ], the current animals presented quite good ω-3 PUFA composition with high content of ALA (51.3 mg/100 g muscle relative to a range of 28.1–52.8 mg/100 g muscle), EPA (11.0 mg/100 g muscle relative to a range of 5.8–24.5 mg/100 g muscle) and DHA (4.3 mg/100 g muscle relative to a range of 1.5–4.2 mg/100 g muscle), despite the fact that these comparisons may depend on genetic makeup, breed, gender, age, and geographic location, which all affect FA compositions [ 27 ]. Consumption of ω-3 PUFA is linked to a variety of health benefits, notably in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.…”