Effect of a Rumen-Protected Microencapsulated Supplement from Linseed Oil on the Growth Performance, Meat Quality, and Fatty Acid Composition in Korean Native Steers

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of a rumen-protected microencapsulated supplement from linseed oil (MO) on ruminal fluid, growth performance, meat quality, and fatty acid composition in Korean native steers. In an in vitro experiment, ruminal fluid was taken from two fistulated Holstein dairy cows. Different levels of MO (0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) were added to the diet. In an in vivo experiment, eight steers (average body weight = 597.1 ± 50.26 kg; average age = 23.8 ± 0.12 months) were assigned to two dietary groups, no MO (control) and MO (3% MO supplementation on a DM basis), for 186 days. The in vitro study revealed that 3% MO is an optimal dose, as there were decreases in the neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber digestibility at 48 h (p p p p < 0.05). Our results indicate that supplementation with 3% MO supplements improves the growth performance and meat quality modulated by the omega-3 fatty acid content of meat in Korean native steers.

Keywords

• rumen-protected microencapsulated linseed oil
• omega-3 fatty acids
• Korean native steers
• growth performance
• meat quality