Meristem: Beef Science

Juicier steaks and billions in cost savings for the beef industry could soon result from new breakthrough research by the Alberta-based CLA Network.

In a series of studies lead by Dr. Erasmus Okine of the University of Alberta, researchers showed that feeding modified diets to increase conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in beef cattle resulted in carcasses with higher levels of desirable marbling fat and lower levels of undesirable backfat. CLA is a beneficial fatty acid produced naturally only in ruminant animals.

Marbling, the term that describes the intermingling of small amounts of fat in meat, is associated with juicier, more tender beef preferred in premium beef products. Backfat is an unwanted by-product that costs the North American beef industry approximately $4 billion annually to remove and to dispose of at the processing level.

"This finding is great news for both beef consumers and the beef industry," says Okine, a ruminant nutritionist and Chair of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science (AFNS). "In CLA, it appears we have found a simple, cost effective means to reduce backfat and to generate greater volumes of high quality beef that will meet premium market demand."

This finding is the latest in a series of promising developments in CLA research. Pioneering studies based largely on animal models have linked this unique fatty acid, which is found naturally in beef and dairy products, to a broad range of human health benefits. These include benefits related to cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease and bone density.

Okine is one of many researchers aiming to identify and take advantage of CLA opportunities, as part of the CLA Network. Founded in Alberta in 2001, the CLA Network is a collaborative team from academia, industry and government, including representatives from many areas of expertise such as research, food industry, health and communications.

"We're very encouraged by the results we're seeing in many different areas," says Okine, who leads the CLA Network's Animal Mechanisms module. "CLA is proving itself to be a truly remarkable food component with many potential benefits. The more we learn about CLA and its advantages, the more we can bring these benefits to consumers and take advantage of the new marketing opportunities this presents for beef and dairy products."

The findings related to backfat and marbling are the result of more than a decade of research that came to fruition in a recent series of studies, says Okine. CLA Network colleagues Dr. John Basarab, of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development in Lacombe, and Dr. Priya Mir, of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, first showed that levels of natural CLA can be increased in beef cattle by feeding diets that included components high in linoleic acid. This can be accomplished simply by adding sunflower oil or canola oil to cattle feed.

Okine and his team built on that with further studies examining the effects of that CLA increase within the animal. In the laboratory, they observed the effects of CLA on how fat is metabolized within the cells of beef cattle. In the field, they performed three studies with a total of approximately 500 animals to measure these effects under specific feeding regimes.

The results showed a typical 10 to 15 percent reduction in backfat with a modest increase in dietary CLA. Related effects on marbling ranged from neutral to substantial increases.

"We're confident we've identified the mechanisms that will provide a foundation for future studies to pinpoint specific feeding regimes to get the best backfat and marbling results related to CLA," says Okine.

More information on progress with the CLA Network's Animal Mechanisms module, including further perspective from Okine, is featured in a new article available on the Web, at www.CLAnetwork.com. The article is titled "Exploring the inner frontier." Background information on the CLA Network and a range of other articles on CLA progress – with new items added regularly – are also available on the site.

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CLA could mean juicier steaks, billions in cost savings for beef industry