Forage Turnip (Brassica rapa L.) as a Dietary Supplement to Improve Meat Quality

Summer turnips (Brassica rapa L.) have become one of the main supplementary crops in ruminant livestock systems in southern Chile because of accelerated forage growth as well as greater forage yield and nutritive value in the dry season. This study investigated the effects of forage turnip supplementation on the physicochemical and sensory quality of beef from steers. Twenty-seven Holstein-Friesian steers were allocated to one of three dietary treatments: pasture plus concentrate (Control), 50% turnip with a basal diet of pasture hay and rolled corn (T50), and 70% turnip with the same basal diet (T70). Carcass yields and physicochemical and sensory beef attributes, including fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat (IMF) in lean tissue, were measured. Compared to the Control diet, finishing steers on 50% or 70% turnips increased meat redness (a* > 25.9 vs. 22.9 in Control), IMF (1.79% in T50 vs. 1.12% in Control), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (especially n-3), cholesterol, and specific minerals (sodium, manganese and iron); this resulted in a reduction in the subcutaneous fat thickness (0.29 cm in T50, 0.25 cm in T70 vs. 0.51 cm in Control) and shear force of cooked meat (p < 0.05). However, no differences were found between diets in beef juiciness, flavor, and tenderness assessed by trained panelists (p > 0.05). Increasing forage turnip inclusion to 70% resulted in similar beef quality to the 50% inclusion level. Foraged turnips present a promising strategy for producing high-quality beef during periods of limited pasture growth.