Alfalfa hay substitution for wheat straw improves beef quality via rumen microflora alteration

The use of high-quality roughage to improve beef quality has become an important issue in China, as the country has become the world's largest beef consumer. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different forage qualities (wheat straw vs alfalfa hay) on Simmental crossbreed cattle's meat quality, rumen fermentation and microbiota. AHG (Alfalfa hay group) improved the ADFI (Average daily feed intake) and ADG (Average daily gain) of the beef cattle, meat-to-bone ratio and EE (Ether extract). The C18:3n3 and C20:3n3 composition of LD in AHG was significantly higher than WSG. An increase in the relative abundance of Firmicutes and a decrease in Bacteroidetes was observed. AHG resulted in higher relative abundance of Saccharomonospora, Streptomyces. A negative correlation between Treponema and muscle PUFA was noticed. Prevotella was negatively correlated with starch and sucrose metabolism. In conclusion, current study demonstrates that feeding alfalfa hay can raise meat quality by altering the rumen microbiota, providing valuable information for the application of alfalfa hay in beef cattle breeding.