Originally published June 15 2005
Beef from grazing cows is up to 40 percent leaner than grain fed cows
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
An article in the gainsvilletimes.com quotes scientist Susan Duckett as saying the "new beef" -- beef from cows who ate grazing grass or other forages their whole life rather than finishing their life eating corn or other grains in feedlots -- has up to 40 percent less fat content than grain-finished steaks.
University researchers in three states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture say Appalachian forage-finished beef has a lot to offer.
In a three-year joint research project, cattle were raised solely on forages in Virginia and West Virginia.
"The goal of this project is to document how animal feeding systems impact meat quality," said Susan Duckett, an animal scientist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Duckett compared the forage-finished beef with grain-finished beef in quality, composition, tenderness, palatability, juiciness, flavors, fat coloring and marbling.
She found the fat content of the forage-finished steaks to be 40 percent lower than that of grain-finished steaks.
It had higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty acid, too, and a better ratio of omega-6-to-omega-3.
Duckett said the forage-finished beef was higher in fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin E and beta carotene.
"It all comes down to the fact that the forage contains a lot of these things," Duckett said.
"And when the animals consume this diet, they're able to deposit these valuable phytochemicals into the meat."
The research project includes researchers from the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and West Virginia University.
This fall, the team plans to begin taste-panel studies and start comparing three types of forage feeding systems.
"We need to determine how the feeding systems impact flavor and palatability," she said.
"Our first objective was to look at the quality and production.
Now that we see benefits, we'd like to partner with someone in the retail arena to get the product out to consumers."
Through a separate project in Georgia, Duckett started the Georgia Grass-fed Beef Initiative, which has helped educate farmers on finishing their cattle on forages.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml