Predicting Beef Fatty Acid Composition from Diet and Plasma Profiles Using Multivariate Models

The nutritional value of beef is highly influenced by its fatty acid composition. This study evaluated whether diet proximate analyses or plasma fatty acid profiles could predict the meat fatty acid composition in young beef cattle finished at pasture or with hay- and concentrate-based diets in stalls. Eighteen crossbred animals (Limousine × Sardo-Bruna) were analyzed for plasma and the intramuscular fat composition of Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Musculus gluteus maximus (MGM). A canonical correlation analysis revealed strong relationships between the dietary antioxidant capacity and meat lipid profiles, particularly for α-linolenic acid and conjugated linoleic acid. The redundancy index indicated that diet explained 38% of the variance in LT fatty acids and 20% in MGM. Partial least squares regression achieved a high precision and accuracy (R² up to 0.94), with a low root mean square error of prediction and high predictive ability (Q² > 0.85), in predicting the intramuscular fatty acid composition from plasma samples. Overall, (i) animals consuming diets with a higher antioxidant capacity and rich in n-3 precursors (ether extract) have healthier fat profiles, and (ii) plasma fatty acid profiling can be a powerful method for monitoring meat quality. This approach provides farmers with a non-invasive tool to improve meat quality management and promote healthier beef products.