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Research Article

Studies on the composition of food

3.* The nutritive value of beef from intensively reared animals

J. M. Harriesa1†, A. W. Hubbarda2, F. E. Aldera3, M. Kaya4 and D. R. Williamsa5† a1 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Great Westminster House, Horseferry Road, London, SW 1, a2 Ministry of Technology, Laboratory of the Government Chemist, London, SE 1, a3 ARC Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks, a4 ARC Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen a5 ARC Meat Research Institute, Low Temperature Research Station, Cambridge

Article author query harries jm   hubbard aw   alder fe   kay m   williams dr

Abstract

1. An attempt has been made to compare the nutritive value of beef from intensively reared animals with that from more extensively reared stock.

2. The difficulties of such a comparison are described and the consequent limitations of this experiment specified.

3. It was found that samples of longissimus dorsi and superficial digital flexor muscles showed no significant differences between intensively reared and extensively reared animals in their content of moisture, intramuscular fat, protein, non-protein nitrogen, iron, thiamine, riboflavine, or nicotinic acid.

4. The longissimus dorsi muscles had more non-protein nitrogen and more nicotinic acid, but less iron and less riboflavine, than the superficial digital flexor muscles.

5. There was less vitamin A and less carotene in samples of liver from intensively reared animals than in comparable samples from extensively reared animals.

(Received March 13 1967)

(Accepted September 01 1967)

Footnotes

* Paper No. 2: Br. J. Nutr. (1966), 20, 747.

† Meat Research Institute, Agricultural Research Council, Langford, near Bristol, Somerset.