What if you could have the taste of beef with the goodness of fish? Now, Chinese scientists have reared beef rich in the beneficial fatty acids associated with fish oils.
The team from Northwest AandF University and the National Beef Cattle Improvement Centre successfully introduced a gene into foetal cells from Luxi Yellow cattle, a Chinese breed with a high beef yield. The fat1 gene, isolated from a nematode worm, codes for desaturase enzymes that are involved in the conversion of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Corresponding author Linsen Zan said that they have provided the first evidence that it is possible to create a new breed of cattle with higher nutritional value in terms of their fatty acid composition.
Of 14 calves that successfully received the fat1 gene, 11 died at less than four months old, mainly from inflammation and from an infection common to cattle, haemorrhagic septicaemia. Further research is needed to determine the causes. Abnormalities may result from the incomplete reprogramming of cells or from some genes being turned on and off during the generation of embryos.
Lead author Gong Cheng said that there was much to learn about the best scientific techniques and the best husbandry required to make beef a rich animal source of omega-3 oils for human nutrition, but they had taken the first step.
The researchers believe that the results of their study could help ensure in the future that the beef that people eat is better for them.
The study is published in Springer's journal Biotechnology Letters.
