Effect of vitamin A restriction in finishing diets of marbling-positive F1 Angus animals on the chemical composition and fatty acid profile of meat

• Grant number: 22/01181-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2022
• End date: May 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Otávio Rodrigues Machado Neto
• Grantee: Antony Gabriel Munhoz Pereira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The importance of increasing the intramuscular fat content of the meat to meet the quality standard and add value to the product, there is the possibility of using the restriction of vitamin A in the diet as a tool in the modulation of fat deposition in the animal carcass. However, the mechanisms involved in the positive interaction between dietary vitamin A restriction and the degree of marbling and its relationship to the chemical composition and fatty acid profile of beef are not yet understood. In this context, the objective is to study how the restriction of vitamin A in the diet of animals with DEP positive for marbling affects the chemical composition and fatty acid profile of the meat. 42 F1 steers (Angus x Nellore), half-sibs with positive DEP for marbling, will be used, which will be divided into two treatments in the finishing phase: 1) high vitamin A content (3170 IU/kg of dry matter (DM)) versus 2) low vitamin A content (1170 IU/kg DM). The diet will consist of 85% concentrate and 15% roughage. The animals will receive the diet in a confinement system, lasting 180 days. Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle samples will be collected between the 12th and 13th ribs of the left half-carcass to conduct a quantification analysis of collagen, intramuscular fat, protein, moisture and minerals, and the fatty acid profile in the meat. Aiming at the integration of nutrition as a tool to improve meat quality.(AU)