Role of whole linseed and sunflower seed on the nutritional and organoleptic properties of Podolian × Limousine meat

Abstract

The fatty acids profile of meat can be influenced by the amount and type of the lipid supplemented in animal feeding with a modulation of the rumen biohydrogenation of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (P UFA). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the nutritional and sensory quality of bovine meat as affected by different oilseeds supplementations. Thirty two Podolian x Limousine young bulls were randomly allocated into four experimental treatments: control diet (CO) with no supplemental fat, linseed diet (LS) with a supplementation of 10% whole linseed; sunflower diet (SS) with supplementation of 10% of sunflower seeds; LS+SS diet: with supplementation of linseeds (5%) and sunflowers (5%). After finishing period (140 days), all animals were slaughtered and fatty acids profile and sensory proprieties were evaluated on meat. The results showed that dietary supplementation with linseed or/and sunflower seeds in the diet decreased the percentage of saturated fatty acids (P<0.001) and increased monounsatured (P<0.05) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (P<0.05). Feeding diets containing linseeds as respect with sunflower seeds increased the amount of total n-3 P UFA (P<0.01) and, in particular, of linolenic (P<0.01), eicosapentaenoic (P<0.001), docosapentaenoic (P<0.01) and docosaeasoenoic (P<0.05) acids. An improvement in tenderness, juiciness, chewiness and flavour intensity was observed in beef from animals supplemented with oilseeds. This study suggests that linseed alone or in combination with sunflower seeds is an effective strategy to enrich meat with beneficial fatty acids and to improve some sensory attributes appreciated by consumers.

Keywords

• linseed
• sunflower seed
• n-3 fatty acids
• nutritional indices
• sensory properties