Long Term Dietary Supplementation with Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Charolais Beef Cattle Reared in Italian Intensive Systems: Nutritional Profile and Fatty Acids Composition of Longissimus lumborum Muscle

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The nutritional quality of meat is a key factor affecting consumer preferences and health. In particular, intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition, as well as protein, trace minerals and vitamins have a valuable impact on the nutritional quality of meat. The relationship between diet and the occurrence of several diseases in humans has drawn attention to improving the production of meat and meat products, with a high content of omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, over the last decades, a decline in the intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been observed in Western diets, with a growing imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 enrichment of food is a useful approach to counteract deficiencies of omega-3 fatty acids in human diets. Dietary supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids in ruminants has been studied to positively influence the nutritional quality of the meat, improving consumers’ health. The present study highlights that dietary supplementation of an omega-3 lipid supplement in Charolais beef cattle reared in intensive conditions enhances the meat’s nutritional quality parameters. ABSTRACT: Recently, the quality of beef has received great attention, and health concerns have been focused on fatty acid composition in relation to dietary requirements. The present work aims to evaluate the effect of omega-3 fatty acids (FA) lipid supplement in beef diet on the nutritional characteristics of Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle. One hundred and eighty Charolais beef were divided in two groups: the control group (CON) received a basal diet and the second one (TR) an isoenergetic diet containing the omega-3 supplement. Dietary treatment did not affect (p > 0.05) growth performances, carcass characteristics and LL colour indices. Cholesterol content resulted lower (p < 0.001) in LL muscle from TR group than CON. The omega-3 FA and conjugated linoleic acid content were higher (p < 0.001) in LL muscle from TR than CON. As expected, LL muscle from TR group showed an increased value of malondialdehyde than CON during refrigerated storage, anyway, remaining within the threshold value of 1 mg/kg meat. In conclusion, the lipid supplement, rich in omega-3 FA improves the fatty acid profile and decreases cholesterol content of LL muscle. This feeding practice is suggested to enhance the nutritional value of meat from beef reared in intensive condition, improving the consumer’s health.