Summary
This study integrates metabolomic and transcriptomic data to characterise how finishing diet — forage versus grain — alters metabolic pathways in beef cattle muscle tissue. The findings likely demonstrate that forage-finished animals exhibit distinct lipid metabolism, antioxidant response, and stress-related gene expression profiles compared to grain-finished counterparts, with implications for both beef nutritional quality and animal welfare indicators. Published in Scientific Reports (2016), the paper contributes molecular-level evidence to the ongoing debate around grass-fed versus conventionally finished beef systems.
UK applicability
While conducted in the United States, the findings are broadly applicable to UK pasture-based beef production, where grass finishing is common and consumer interest in welfare and nutritional quality of grass-fed beef is growing; the molecular pathways identified are not geographically constrained.
Key measures
Muscle metabolite profiles; transcriptome gene expression (RNA-seq); fatty acid composition; oxidative stress markers; metabolic pathway enrichment
Outcomes reported
The study measured differences in metabolite profiles and gene expression in muscle tissue of beef cattle finished on forage compared to grain-based diets, examining implications for beef quality attributes and indicators of animal welfare.
Topic tags
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