Marcos Lemos

By Marcos Vinicius Antunes de Lemos, Angelica S.C. Pereira, Inaê Cristina Regatieri, Fabieli Louise Braga Feitosa and Fernando Baldi

In relation the nutritional attributes of beef meat quality, the composition of fatty acid is important not only because it affects the meat palatability, but also it can affect the human health. The fatty acids harmful to human health have received attenuating attention in recent years. Some studies, with taurine breed, have shown that there is a genetic variation for the trait fatty acid profile of the meat and, therefore, the possibility of genetic improvement of this trait in beef cattle. Meantime, in zebu cattle, the genetic parameter estimates for fatty acid profile are scarce. Furthermore, the trait meat fatty acid profile is something difficult and costly to measure and for this kind of trait is indicated the use of genomic selection, which is a type of marker-assisted selection. The objective of this chapter is showing the genetic variability of meat fatty acid profile different cattle breeds and makes an approach of the implement models and methods that use genomic information to improve the fatty acid composition of beef meat.

Part of the book: Fatty Acids

By Taiane da Silva Martins, Marcos Vinícius Antunes de Lemos, Lenise Freitas Mueller, Fernando Baldi, Tamyres Rodrigues de Amorim, Adrielle Matias Ferrinho, Julian Andres Muñoz, Ingrid Harumi de Souza Fuzikawa, Gabriella Vespe de Moura, Jéssica Luana Gemelli and Angélica Simone Cravo Pereira

The consumer’s profile has changed, and in recent years, there has been a greater concern for the nutritional quality of meat, especially in relation to fat that compose it. The meat fat composition can contribute to the onset of cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, fat is an essential component in the human diet, as well as providing energy; it contains essential fatty acids (FAs) that must be present in food. The meat nutritional properties are largely related to its fat content and fatty acid composition. In addition, fat gives flavor to food, helps in the absorption of vitamins, and plays an important role in the immune response, for humans, and animals. The fat nutritional and sensory quality in meat that is determined by the fatty acid composition can affect the degree of fat saturation, the storage stability, and flavor. There are several factors that can influence the fatty acid composition, such as animals’ species, breed, sex, and diet, causing various changes in carcass, as well as in tissues and chemical meat composition.

Part of the book: Meat Science and Nutrition