Effect of extruded flaxseed supplementation during the indoor fattening of yearling bulls on beef carcass, meat composition, and fatty acid profile

This study investigates the impact ofsupplementing extruded flaxseed tothe diet ofyearling bulls during the indoor fattening onbeef carcass quality, meat composition, and fatty acid profile. Twenty male crossbred calves (Holstein Simmental) were divided into two groups: control group and flaxseed-supplemented group, each with 10calves. The control group received aconventional diet, while the flaxseed group was fed the same diet enriched with 5% extruded flaxseed onadry-matter basis. The study revealed nosignificant differences ingrowth performance, carcass weight, oryield between the two groups. However, the flaxseed-supplemented group exhibited ahigher intramuscular fat content, which was likely due tothe increased energy intake from the flaxseed lipid content. Additionally, flaxseed supplementation improved the fatty acid profile ofbeef byincreasing the percentage ofmonounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and reducing the saturated fatty acid (SFA) percentage and the n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio. Despite these improvements, the study did not reveal any significant increase inthe proportion ofn-3 fatty acids inthe meat. These findings suggest that while flaxseed supplementation enhances the nutritional profile ofbeef, further research isneeded tooptimise the balance ofenergy intake tomaximise the increase inn-3 fatty acids.