Meat Research

Roughage and concentrate based feeding and their impact on beef quality – A review

2026-03-14T06:10:27+00:00

The feeding system is a major factor that affects the physicochemical, nutritional, and sensory quality of beef. This review examines the impact of roughage and concentrate-based diets on beef quality, emphasizing nutrient absorption, carcass composition, fatty acid profile, and flavor. Roughage-based systems, which are heavy in fibrous forages, help generate slimmer carcasses and increase good fatty acids like omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). This makes meat healthier and less likely to go bad. Feeding concentrates, on the other hand, speeds up growth, makes the carcass heavier, and adds fat to the muscles, which makes the meat more tender, juicy, and popular with customers. But if you consume too much concentration, it might mess with your metabolism and produce acidosis, so you need to be careful about what you eat. Using both feeding methods along with precision feeding technology can make animals perform better and increase the quality of the meat while keeping the rumen healthy. Consistently high-quality beef production that fulfills both consumer needs and sustainability goals may be achieved by continuing to improve feeding procedures.

Fatty acid profiling and nutritional lipid indices of raw and cooked indigenous cattle meat and fat in Bangladesh

2026-04-06T13:25:09+00:00

Fatty acid composition and lipid nutritional quality are important determinants of the health value of meat products. However, information regarding the lipid profile of indigenous cattle in Bangladesh and the influence of thermal processing on fatty acid stability remains limited. This study characterized the fatty acid composition and nutritional lipid indices of ribeye muscle (longissimus dorsi) and perirenal adipose tissue from indigenous cattle and evaluated the effects of cooking on lipid composition. Samples obtained from nine animals were analyzed in raw and cooked states, yielding 36 experimental samples. Total lipids were extracted using the Folch method, converted into fatty acid methyl esters, and analyzed by gas chromatography. The effects of tissue type (muscle vs adipose), cooking treatment (raw versus cooked), and their interaction were evaluated using two-way analysis of variance. Adipose tissue contained significantly higher total lipid content than muscle (68.66% versus 5.82%; p < 0.001). Tissue types strongly influenced fatty acid distribution, with muscle exhibiting higher proportions of monounsaturated fatty acids, whereas adipose tissue contained greater levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oleic acid (C18:1) was the predominant fatty acid in both tissues. Cooking induced moderate compositional shifts, characterized by increased relative proportions of saturated fatty acids and reduced unsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.001), indicating preferential thermal degradation of unsaturated lipids. Nutritional lipid indices were moderately affected, although the overall fatty acid profile remained monounsaturated fatty acid dominant across treatments. These findings demonstrate that tissue type is the primary determinant of lipid composition in indigenous cattle, whereas thermal processing induces moderate but measurable changes in fatty acid distribution. The results provide baseline information on the lipid nutritional quality of indigenous Bangladeshi beef and indicate that typical cooking conditions do not substantially compromise its favorable fatty acid profile.

Comparative study on growth and carcass characteristics of three genotypes of duck for establishing a baseline population towards a meat type duck variety

2026-04-06T13:51:57+00:00

Poultry meat and egg have a major contribution in human nutrition all over the world. Ducks in terms of meat and egg production occupy an important position next to chicken farming in Bangladesh. Present study was conducted to establish a baseline population forwarding a meat type duck variety in Bangladesh. For this novel purpose, day-old ducklings (n=60 each) of commercial three duck breeds Pekin (PK), Deshi Black (DB), and Nageswari (NG) were selected with three replications of 20 birds each were utilized to the study of ten weeks of rearing under intensive management system. All birds were supplied the same feed, vaccine, light, temperature with sufficient clean drinking water. During this period different parameters like their total body weight, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), mortality and carcass characteristics were recorded for all the breeds. The results showed that final body weight (BW), Live weight gain (LWG) and carcass parameters are significantly (p<0.05) higher in PK compare to DB and NG, with significantly (p<0.05) lower FCR and mortality rate comparing with other two breeds. Although there is no significant (p<0.05) difference between DB and NG in case of FCR but other parameters like BW and LWG with carcass parameters DB is significantly (p<0.05) higher than NG with the inverse result in case of mortality. From this study it may concluded that PK and DB are better than NG in the sense of selection for next generation breeding.

Effect of age on the quality of slaughterhouse by-products of indigenous cattle at Fulbaria, Mymensingh

2026-04-06T13:57:45+00:00

Indigenous cattle are integral to rural livelihoods, food security, and the agricultural economy of Bangladesh, yet systematic data on the influence of age on slaughterhouse by-products remain scarce. The present study was conducted at Fulbaria, Mymensingh district, Bangladesh, to investigate the effects of age on slaughterhouse by-products of indigenous cattle. Live weight, warm carcass weight, and dressing percentage were recorded across five age groups: T0 = 0 permanent incisor (< 2 years), T1 = one pair permanent incisor (2 years), T2 = two pairs permanent incisors (2 years 6 months), T3 = three pairs permanent incisors (3 years), and T4 = four pairs permanent incisors (3.5–4 years). The results showed that the oldest age group, T4 (3.5–4 years), had significantly higher live weight, carcass weight, dressing percentage, and weights of most edible and inedible by-products compared to the younger groups. Specifically, T4 exhibited the highest values for head, heart, brain, skin, intestine, and blood. Lung weights were significantly greater in all groups except the youngest (T0), while liver and eye weights showed no significant differences across ages. Kidney weight was highest in T1 but lower in older groups, and tongue weight peaked in T1 with variable values in others. Teeth weight was significantly higher in T2, and hoof weight was greatest in T3. Market survey data revealed high economic returns from liver, heart, and kidney, emphasizing their contribution to carcass value. These findings suggest that optimizing slaughter age and promoting by-product utilization could enhance economic efficiency, reduce waste, and improve protein availability in Bangladesh. Overall, these findings indicate that male indigenous cattle aged 3.5 to 4 years (T4) offer the most favorable yield of meat by-products, although some specific by-products reach maximum weight at intermediate ages.