A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef

Nutrition Journal

Review

Patrick S Doyle¹  Amber Abbott¹  Cynthia A Daley¹  Glenn A Nader²  Stephanie Larson² 

[1] College of Agriculture, California State University, Chico, CA, USA;University of California Cooperative Extension Service, Davis, CA, USA;

关键词: Conjugated Linoleic Acid;    Conjugated Linoleic Acid Isomer;    Antioxidant Content;    Total Conjugated Linoleic Acid;    Conjugated Linoleic Acid C9t11;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1475-2891-9-10

 received in 2009-07-29, accepted in 2010-03-10,  发布年份 2010

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Growing consumer interest in grass-fed beef products has raised a number of questions with regard to the perceived differences in nutritional quality between grass-fed and grain-fed cattle. Research spanning three decades suggests that grass-based diets can significantly improve the fatty acid (FA) composition and antioxidant content of beef, albeit with variable impacts on overall palatability. Grass-based diets have been shown to enhance total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (C18:2) isomers, trans vaccenic acid (TVA) (C18:1 t11), a precursor to CLA, and omega-3 (n-3) FAs on a g/g fat basis. While the overall concentration of total SFAs is not different between feeding regimens, grass-finished beef tends toward a higher proportion of cholesterol neutral stearic FA (C18:0), and less cholesterol-elevating SFAs such as myristic (C14:0) and palmitic (C16:0) FAs. Several studies suggest that grass-based diets elevate precursors for Vitamin A and E, as well as cancer fighting antioxidants such as glutathione (GT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity as compared to grain-fed contemporaries. Fat conscious consumers will also prefer the overall lower fat content of a grass-fed beef product. However, consumers should be aware that the differences in FA content will also give grass-fed beef a distinct grass flavor and unique cooking qualities that should be considered when making the transition from grain-fed beef. In addition, the fat from grass-finished beef may have a yellowish appearance from the elevated carotenoid content (precursor to Vitamin A). It is also noted that grain-fed beef consumers may achieve similar intakes of both n-3 and CLA through the consumption of higher fat grain-fed portions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Daley et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2010