How Animal Nutrition Affects Meat and Dairy Quality

Image

The amount and type of nutrients consumed by the animal influence the meat quality attributes. Grass-fed meat has a more robust flavour. A higher energy density in the diet results in a heavier carcass, more fat, and more marbling. The development and use of cloned milk and meat products is dependent on their safety and the nutritional benefits they can provide to the products, as perceived by consumers. Milk and meat products are both high-quality protein sources, as evidenced by their protein content and essential amino acid profile. Milk contains calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, as well as vitamins B2 and B12. Meat contains iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. The level and quality of fat, which is typically high in saturated fat, is an important issue in terms of the nutritional quality of meat and milk, Furthermore, some changes to the fat fraction could improve the nutritional quality of the products. Differences in nutrient levels, however, may result from differences in carcass composition between species and within species due to differences in the ratio of fat to muscle in the edible portion. The nutrient concentration of the muscle portion decreases as the fat percentage increases.