Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systems

As concerns regarding beef production on human and environmental health increase, interest in sustainable practices has grown. This study compared soil, plant, and meat samples from three Southern US grass-fed beef systems to a paired grain-fed beef system to assess soil health, forage phytochemical richness, and meat nutritional composition. Soil samples from pasturelands had 1.4 times higher organic matter and 1.7- to 3.0-fold higher levels of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium compared to paired feed croplands. Grass-fed beef contained 3.1-fold higher phytochemical antioxidants than grain-fed beef, resulting from a 118.2-fold higher phytochemical content in forage. Vitamins A and E in grass-fed beef were also 2.9- and 4.2-fold higher, respectively. Urate levels were 2.0-fold higher in grass-fed samples, while homocysteine and 4-hydroxynonenal glutathione, associated with reduced metabolic health, were elevated in grain-fed samples. The study provides evidence of the beneficial effects of grass-fed beef systems along the soil-plant-animal-human nutrition continuum.