Improving the quality of animal meat by using blue iodine (Amyloiodine)

Background: Low-quality meat negatively impacts human health and leads to diseases. The nutritional value of low-quality meat is relatively poor, emphasizing the need to provide the population with high-grade and safe products so that individuals can consume adequate energy and nutrients, such as proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. These dietary components work in conjunction to ensure health status. Objectives: This study aimed to observe the increase in nutritional value of cattle meat through using amyloiodine (blue iodine or iodized starch), a functional food ingredient. The use of this compound will make it possible to solve the iodine deficiency issue in the animal's body, strengthen the cattle's immune system, and obtain a higher-quality beef yield. This research included the study of chemical and organoleptic parameters of meat, the content of minerals within the product, and indicators of thyroid hormones such as thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Methods: Scientific research was carried out using farms in the Ararat region, some of which were subsidiary. Observations were conducted in the laboratories of the Scientific Research Center for Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary and Sanitary Expertise of the National Agrarian University of Armenia. The objects of the study were cows of the Caucasian brown and Simmental breeds (n=30). The animal population was divided into 2 groups: the experimental (n=15) and the control group (n=15). The experimental group orally received amyloiodine in a dose of 200 mL diluted in 200 mL of water daily for 5 days, while the control group did not receive amyloiodine. However, the dietary pattern in both groups was the same. After 5 days of drinking the amyloidine, the experimental group paused, returning after 5 days to receive blue iodine for another 5 days. During the trial period, amyloiodine, which is sold in pharmacies in ready-made form, was obtained in the laboratory, as its preparation method is simple and accessible. Amyloiodine was used in this study as it is an iodized starch that is highly effective in reducing iodine deficiencies and the incidence of diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and helminths. Results: In the studied cows, biological value and physico-chemical parameters were observed as deviations, given as a percentage, to indicate an increase in the nutritional value of meat. Positive deviations were observed in the experimental group, which received the amyloidine. Novelty: This study uniquely investigates using orally administered amyloiodine (blue iodine) as a functional food ingredient to enhance cattle meat's nutritional value and quality in an iodine-deficient region. It demonstrates amyloiodine's effectiveness in improving meat's protein and mineral composition, reducing potential toxins, and enhancing overall meat safety and organoleptic properties. Conclusion: Scientific research in this study has shown that the orally administered amyloiodine, a functional food ingredient, improves meat quality by increasing protein and mineral composition, reducing toxins, and improving meat safety in production. The use of amyloidine within the meat production industry in Armenia is widely accepted, as cows are in an endemic zone of the territory. In this territory, there is a complete absence of iodine in the earth's interior and the plant kingdom. Keywords: amyloiodine, cattle, organoleptic parameters, nutritional value of meat, bioactive compound