Fatty acid composition of beef from Nguni steers supplemented with Acacia karroo leaf-meal

The objective of this study was to determine fatty acid composition of beef from Nguni cattle supplemented with Acacia karroo leaf-meal. Thirty 19-month-old steers were randomly assigned to A. karroo leaf-meal (AK), sunflower cake (SF) and the control with no supplement (CN) diets. The m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum was sampled for analyses. Highest α-linolenic acid and docosapentaenoic acid, and lowest n−6/n−3 ratios were recorded in beef from steers that received AK diet (P < 0.05). Myristic acid and palmitic acid proportions were lower (P < 0.05) while n−3 PUFA proportions were higher (P < 0.05) in beef from steers that were given AK and CN diets than those on the SF diet (P < 0.05). It was concluded that the inclusion of A. karroo in cattle diets can improve fatty acid composition of beef from a human health perspective.