Producing bright red pasture fed beef.

LANARI MC , RABLIN, S.,.BREWSTER M, YANG A Y TUME R.,

Buenos Aires Argentina

Congreso; 46th Int Congress Meat Sci & technol; 2000

Lanari  MC , Rablin, S.,.Brewster M, Yang A y Tume R., Producing bright red pasture fed beef. En: Proc. 46th.Int. Congress Meat Sci. & Technol. Buenos Aires Argentina  August 2000.  Com Organizador ICOMST (Eds.). Art. Completo.  Buenos Aires Argentina  2000. Times cited: 4.   The balance between anti and pro-oxidants in the muscle differs in pasture and grain-fed cattle. Pasture is a good source of antioxidants like á-tocopherol and b-carotene. However, beef of steers grazed on pasture has a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the membrane phospholipids than that of grain-fed animals increasing the susceptibility of meat towards oxidation. The interaction between these two factors modifies the colour and colour stability of beef. Finishing cattle on grass is economically advantageous in many countries. Colour of grass-fed beef is a critical factor limiting its marketability because many consumers consider grass fed beef as inferior as it sometimes appears darker than meat from grain fed cattle. The information regarding colour and colour stability of pasture fed cattle is contradictory; most of the colour evaluation was done subjectively and had not taken into consideration the antioxidant content of the feed or muscle. A detailed analysis of the colour stability of pasture fed beef will provide the Australian meat industry with critical information in order to compete successfully in the domestic and export markets.