Einflüsse von Weidezusammensetzung und Rasse auf das Fettsäuremuster im Fleisch männlicher Milchviehkälber

Pasture-based veal production is a new approach that might be an animal-friendly alternative to conventional fattening. Meat from cattle that have been raised on pasture may have fatty acid patterns that are particularly favourable to human nutrition. However, the fatty acid patterns in the forage differ, same as those of meat. The purpose of the study was to test whether clover-grass pastures enriched with herbs result in a higher quality fatty acid pattern in veal than clover-grass pastures alone. Furthermore, the effects of two breeds - German Holstein (DH) and Jersey (J) on fatty acid patterns in the meat were tested. Therefore, we kept 111 dairy bull calves of different breeds under full-time grazing conditions. Meat samples were taken from the Musculus longissimus dorsi to determine the fatty acid patterns of the intramusclar fat. No different effect between the two sward compositions on these fatty acid patterns could be found. However, a significantly higher level of omega-3 fatty acids in the meat of DH calves compared to J calves confirmed the influence of breed on fatty acid pattern already reported from other studies. Our study has shown that favorable fatty acid patterns in meat can be achieved as early as 6-8 months of age at slaughter when animals are grazed on pasture and fed small amounts of concentrates.