Fatty acid profile, and chemical composition of Longissimus muscle of bovine steers and bulls finished in pasture system

The objective of this work was to evaluate the conjugated linoleic acid content (CLA), the fatty acid profile, and the chemical composition of the Longissimus muscle (LM) of steers and bulls finished in pasture systems. Fourteen 1/2 Nelore × 1/2 Aberdeen Angus cattle were studied. The animals were slaughtered at approximately 20 months of age, with an approximate final liveweight of 480 kg. Moisture, ash, fat, crude protein, cholesterol, and fatty acid contents of Longissimus muscle were determined. Steer muscle had a higher lipid content (3.38%) than that of bulls (1.71%). Total n−3 fatty acids were higher in bulls. The amounts of CLA in steer and bull fat were similar, but the CLA content in steer muscle was higher (47.99 mg 100 g−1 in LM) than that in bull muscle (23.24 mg 100 g−1 in LM).