# Predicting Beef Fatty Acid Composition from Diet and Plasma Profiles Using Multivariate Models

## TL;DR

This study shows that blood analysis can predict beef fat quality without killing the animal, helping farmers produce healthier meat.

## Contribution

A non-invasive method using plasma fatty acid profiles to predict beef fatty acid composition is proposed and validated.

## Key findings

- Dietary antioxidants and n-3 precursors are linked to healthier fat profiles in beef.
- Plasma fatty acid analysis accurately predicts intramuscular fat composition with high precision (R2 up to 0.94).
- The method allows non-invasive monitoring of beef quality, improving sustainability and product value.

## Abstract

The nutritional quality of beef depends largely on the fats it contains, which is strongly influenced by the animals’ diet. Traditionally, evaluating these traits requires slaughtering, but this study tested a less invasive approach based on blood analysis. Young cattle were raised either on natural pastures or with hay- and concentrate-based diets. The results showed that key dietary components, especially natural antioxidants found in pasture plants and the fat fraction of the feed, play an important role in determining the meat composition. Diets richer in antioxidants were associated with higher levels of health-promoting fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, known for their benefits to human health. Blood plasma analysis proved to be a reliable predictor of these traits, allowing the meat quality to be monitored without killing the animal. This innovative strategy could help farmers improve sustainability, increase product value, and provide consumers with healthier beef.

The nutritional value of beef is highly influenced by its fatty acid composition. This study evaluated whether diet proximate analyses or plasma fatty acid profiles could predict the meat fatty acid composition in young beef cattle finished at pasture or with hay- and concentrate-based diets in stalls. Eighteen crossbred animals (Limousine × Sardo-Bruna) were analyzed for plasma and the intramuscular fat composition of Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Musculus gluteus maximus (MGM). A canonical correlation analysis revealed strong relationships between the dietary antioxidant capacity and meat lipid profiles, particularly for α-linolenic acid and conjugated linoleic acid. The redundancy index indicated that diet explained 38% of the variance in LT fatty acids and 20% in MGM. Partial least squares regression achieved a high precision and accuracy (R2 up to 0.94), with a low root mean square error of prediction and high predictive ability (Q2 > 0.85), in predicting the intramuscular fatty acid composition from plasma samples. Overall, (i) animals consuming diets with a higher antioxidant capacity and rich in n-3 precursors (ether extract) have healthier fat profiles, and (ii) plasma fatty acid profiling can be a powerful method for monitoring meat quality. This approach provides farmers with a non-invasive tool to improve meat quality management and promote healthier beef products.