Nutraceutical Properties of Meat from Grazing Podolian Young Bulls

The effect of rearing system (pasture with supplementation 15% crude protein OUT15 vs indoor IND) on meat nutritional and nutraceutical properties was evaluated in twenty Podolian young bulls. Meat quality characteristics were measured on three different muscles (Longissimus dorsi, LD, Semimembranosus, SM, Semitendinosus, ST), vacuum-packaged and chilled stored at 2˚C - 4˚C for 15 days. No differences were found on chemical composition in meat from animals reared with different rearing system. Pasture with supplementation produced an improvement in fatty acid composition with a higher polyunsaturated fatty acid percentage, particularly, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) and very long chain ω3 PUFA, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Meat from young bulls reared at pasture with supplementation showed in all examined muscles the highest α-tocopherol content compared with meat from IND group. On the other hand, malondialdehyde content was not affected by the feeding treatment.