Relationships of a Detailed Mineral Profile of Meat with Animal Performance and Beef Quality

Isotopic and elemental characterization of Romanian pork meat in corroboration with advanced chemometric methods: A first exploratory study

In this study 93 pork meat samples (tenderloin) were analyzed via isotope ratios mass spectrometry (δ2H, δ18O, δ13C) and inductively coupled plasma - Mass spectrometry (55 elements). The meat samples are coming from Romania and abroad. Those from Romania are originating from conventional farms and yard rearing system. The analytical results in conjunction with linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were used to assess: The geographical origin, and animal diet. The most powerful markers which could differentiate pork meat samples concerning the geographical origin were δ18O, terbium, and tin. The results of chemometric models showed that, along with 13C signature, rubidium concentration, and a few rare earth-elements (lanthanum, and cerium) were efficient to discriminate animal diet in a percent of 97.8% (initial classification) and 94.6% (cross-validation), respectively. Some of predictors for feeding regime differentiation by using LDA were identified also to be the best markers to distinguish corn-based diet by using ANNs (δ13C, Rb, La).

Effect of Genetic Crossing and Nutritional Management on the Mineral Composition of Carcass, Blood, Leather, and Viscera of Sheep

The effect of genetic crossing and nutritional management on weight gain and the concentration of minerals and trace elements in the carcass, blood, leather, and viscera of sheep were evaluated. Several statistical strategies were used to evaluate the different elemental composition characteristics of pure breed animals, i.e., White Dorper (ODO), Ile de France (OIF), Texel (OTX), and Santa Inês (OSI), as well as their crossbreeds 1/2 White Dorper and 1/2 Santa Inês (ODS), 1/2 Ile de France, and 1/2 Santa Inês (OIS), 1/2 Texel × 1/2 Santa Inês (OTS). Three different diets were evaluated AL (ad libitum), R75, and R63 (75 and 63 g of dry matter/kg of the animal metabolic weight, respectively). Levels of Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, S, and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The concentration of inorganic elements in the different body components was not affected by the diet (P > 0.05), and OTX and OTS were the breeds with the highest weight gain. Random forest importance models demonstrated that Zn in the carcass, K, Ca, and Zn in blood, and K in leather are most associated with separating the different evaluated sheep's breeds. Crossbreeding the native Santa Inês breed with sheep of exotic breeds produces animals well adapted to confinement.

Current Knowledge on River Buffalo Meat: A Critical Analysis

Simple Summary

Buffaloes are reared for different purposes, primarily for milk and dairy products. Meat is often a secondary product and mainly derives from old animals at the end of their productive or working life. However, in recent years buffalo meat has gained increased popularity due to its nutritional properties. Therefore, a huge economic potential might arise from the development of the meat sector in buffalo breeding. This review provides an overview of the recent advances in the knowledge on river buffalo meat, with a special focus on quality traits, and offers insights for future research aimed at improving the meat sector in this species.

Abstract

The estimated world population of water buffalo counts around 204 million head, mostly reared for milk production. However, buffaloes also largely contribute to the meat sector, with around 4.3 million tonnes produced in 2019, mainly derived from old animals at the end of their productive or working life and only to a small extent from young animals. Therefore, buffalo meat production has been generally considered unsatisfactory for both quantity and quality. In fact, the dressing percentage is generally lower than 50% and the meat is considered of poor quality mainly due to its dark colour and reduced tenderness. However, in recent years, the healthy properties highlighted by some studies have led to a renewed interest in buffalo meat, with a parallel increase in research. Therefore, this review aims at providing an updated picture on carcass and meat quality traits in river buffalo, with special attention to the intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to their variability. The research done so far has demonstrated that river buffaloes can efficiently contribute to the quanti-qualitative production of meat, provided that the meat supply chain is specifically organised for this purpose. The analysis of the available data also showed that further research is needed on the factors affecting meat production in order to gain greater knowledge essential for planning more targeted interventions.

Multivariate Relationships among Carcass Traits and Proximate Composition, Lipid Profile, and Mineral Content of Longissimus lumborum of Grass-Fed Male Cattle Produced under Tropical Conditions

Hierarchical cluster (HCA) and canonical correlation (CCA) analyses were employed to explore the multivariate relationships among chemical components (proximate, mineral and lipidic components) of lean beef longissimus dorsii lumborum (LDL) and selected carcass traits of cattle fattened on pasture under tropical conditions (bulls, n = 60; steers, n = 60; from 2.5 to 4.0 years of age, estimated by dentition). The variables backfat thickness (BFT), Ca, Mn, Cu, C14:0, C15:0, and C20:0 showed the highest coefficients of variation. Three clusters were defined by the HCA. Out of all carcass traits, only BFT differed significantly (p < 0.001) among clusters. Clusters significantly (p < 0.001) differed for total lipids (TLIPIDS), moisture, dry matter (DM), fatty acid composition, cholesterol content, and mineral composition (except for Fe). The variables that define the canonical variate “CARCASS” were BFT and degree of marbling (MARBLING). TLIPIDS was the main variable for the “PROXIMATE” canonical variate, while C16:0 and C18:1c had the most relevant contribution to the “LIPIDS” canonical variate. BFT and MARBLING were highly cross-correlated with TLIPIDS which, in turn, was significantly affected by the IM lipid content. Carcass traits were poorly correlated with mineral content. These findings allow for the possibility to develop selection criteria based on BFT and/or marbling to sort carcasses, from grass-fed cattle fattened under tropical conditions, with differing nutritional values. Further analyses are needed to study the effects of sex condition on the associations among carcass traits and lipidic components.

Performance of different portable and hand-held near-infrared spectrometers for predicting beef composition and quality characteristics in the abattoir without meat sampling

The availability of portable and handheld NIR instruments on the market opens up new possibilities in meat analysis. However, there is lack of research comparing different NIR instruments for evaluating beef characteristics from spectra obtained directly on the meat surface. Our aim, therefore, was to build and test calibration and prediction models for predicting beef characteristics, and to compare the performances of three NIR instruments differing in size and characteristics: a transportable visible-NIR spectrometer (Vis-NIRS), a portable (NIRS), and a hand-held Micro-NIRS. Spectra were collected from 178 beef samples (Longissimus thoracis muscle) from the meat surface in the abattoir. The spectra were subjected to different mathematical pretreatments then partial least square regressions. The results showed that all instruments predicted dry matter, protein and lipids with R²_VAL 0.23 to 0.70; pH and cooking loss R²_VAL 0.19 to 0.25; and color R²_VAL 0.35 to 0.77. Overall, the prediction performances of the three instruments were similar, although Micro-NIRS performed better in some respects.

Muscle fiber morphometry and physicochemical characteristics of the Longissimus thoracis muscle of hair male lambs fed zilpaterol hydrochloride and implanted with steroids

Muscle fiber morphometry and physicochemical characteristics were evaluated in LT muscles obtained from entire male lambs treated with zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH, 0 and 0.15 mg/kg body weight) and/or steroidal implant (SI, with and without trenbolone acetate/estradiol). ZH and SI acted synergistically to increase LT area, type-IIb fiber cross-sectional area and soluble collagen content, likewise to decrease metmyoglobin concentration and insoluble collagen content. Ash content and ultimate pH showed a decrease due to an antagonistic effect between ZH and SI. Content of total collagen, protein, fat, moisture, oxidized lipids and water-holding capacity were unaffected by ZH and SI. Supplemental ZH, but not SI, decreased all color parameters and tended to increase shear force. Overall, the SI implantation of male lambs followed by a ZH supplementation promoted greater LT hypertrophy, without affecting protein and fat content, and physicochemical characteristics in their meat.

Predicting the Content of 20 Minerals in Beef by Different Portable Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectrometers

The aim of this study was to test the predictability of a detailed mineral profile of beef using different portable near-infrared spectrometers (NIRS). These devices are rapid, chemical waste-free, cheap, nondestructive tools that can be used directly on the meat surface in the work environment without the need to take samples. We compared a transportable Visible-NIRS (weight 5.6 kg; wavelength 350-1830 nm), a portable NIRS (2.0 kg; 950-1650 nm), and a hand-held Micro-NIRS (0.06 kg; 905-1649 nm) to predict the contents of 20 minerals (measured by ICP-OES) in 178 beef samples (Longissimus thoracis muscle) using different mathematical pretreatments of the spectra and partial least square regressions. The externally validated results show that Fe, P, Mg, S, Na, and Pb have some potential for prediction with all instruments (R2VAL: 0.40-0.83). Overall, the prediction performances of the three instruments were similar, although the smallest (Micro-NIRS) exhibited certain advantages.