Dietary supplementation of ferulic acid to steers under commercial feedlot feeding conditions improves meat quality and shelf life

The effect of dietary supplementation of ferulic acid on meat quality from commercial crossbred steer (3/4 Bos taurus) was evaluated under intensive commercial feedlot conditions. One hundred animals (ageing under 24 months old and weighing initially 449 ± 14 kg BW) were randomly assigned to one of four different groups (n = 25): Group 1, control group fed only with the basal diet. Group 2 (FA-30), supplemented with 6 mg/kg BW of ferulic acid (FA) for the last 30 days of the finishing phase; Group 3 (FA-60), supplemented with 6 mg/kg BW of FA for last 60 d of the finishing and Group 4 (ZH-30), supplemented with 6 mg/kg BW of Zilpaterol Hydrochloride (ZH) for last 30 days of the finishing phase. Animals were slaughtered at end of finishing period (558 ± 16 kg BW) and the Longissimus thoracis muscle was collected for analyses. Meat quality (Warner Bratzler shear force, pH, objective color, cooking loss, sensory analysis, fatty acid profile, and chemical composition) was evaluated at the time of thawing of samples after transporting the cuts. Additionaly, meat color (objective color L*, a* and b*) and oxidative stability were assesed during 9 days of storage at 4 °C. FA-30 supplementation decreased Warner Bratzler shear force (WBSF) by 30.33% (7.94 vs 10.34 kg) as compared to the ZH-30 supplemented group (P < 0.05). FA-60 and ZH-30 groups increased cooking losses by 20.92 and 18.15% respectively, in comparison to the control group (P < 0.05). Moisture, intramuscular fat, pH, water holding capacity (WHC) and color evaluations were not affected (P > 0.05) by FA or ZH supplementation. Meat from FA-30 treatment had better tenderness, juiciness and flavor sensory, compared to meat from the ZH-30 group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, FA-30 supplementation increased the amount of C15:0 and C14:1 fatty acids (P < 0.05), while meat from the FA-60 treatment showed the highest content of C18: 2 n6 cis, Ʃ PUFA, n6/n3, and PUFA/SFA (P > 0.05). In the shelf life study of meat, it was observed that FA-30 showed low L* values, while FA-60 treatment caused lower a* values and higher TBARS values at end of storage period, compared to other treatments (P < 0.05). In conclusion, FA supplementation of steers for a period of 30 days yielded lower cooking loss, and more tender meat with higher sensory acceptance characteristics, than that observed in meat after ZH supplementation. Additionally, FA-30 supplementation, besides maintaining meat color, delayed lipid oxidation during storage. Despite increasing the content of PUFA, FA supplementation for 60 days was not advantageous due that caused a pro-oxidant effect on meat.