Summary
This study examined how animal sex affects meat quality in Nellore cattle raised on a high-corn (85%) feedlot diet. Whilst overall proximate chemical composition was similar between bulls and heifers, significant differences emerged in the fatty acid profile, with bulls showing higher total saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and heifers showing higher monounsaturated fatty acids. Nutritional quality indicators including the n-6:n-3 ratio and thrombogenicity index also differed by sex, suggesting that animal sex is an important determinant of the fatty acid composition and nutritional properties of grain-finished beef.
UK applicability
UK beef production typically utilises grass-based and mixed systems rather than the high-grain intensive feedlot approach described here. The findings on sex-based differences in fatty acid composition may have limited direct applicability to UK grass-fed or pasture-supplemented systems, where diet composition and forage intake differ substantially from the 85% whole corn protocol.
Key measures
Saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acid composition; n-6:n-3 ratio; thrombogenicity index; Δ-9-desaturase enzyme activity indices (C14, C16, C18)
Outcomes reported
The study evaluated chemical composition and fatty acid profiles of beef muscle from bulls and heifers fed a whole shelled corn diet. Sex influenced fatty acid composition and nutritional quality indices, though overall chemical composition was similar between sexes.
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