Vitamin E supplementation moderates salt-induced oxidation status in beef

This study investigated dietary vitamin E (VE) as a targeted in vivo fortification strategy to proactively protect calf muscle against post-slaughter, salt-induced deterioration. Supranutritional VE supplementation is well known to elevate tocopherol levels in plasma and muscle, thereby enhancing antioxidant capacity. Baseline assessments of commercial beef demonstrated that conventional salt treatments rapidly overwhelm this system, promoting extensive meat deterioration. To overcome this, two sequential experiments were conducted on male calves to optimize a pre-slaughter VE supplementation protocol aimed at enhancing oxidative stability in meat. Experiment 1 compared three α-tocopherol acetate concentrations to determine the most effective over 60 days: control (1.1 g/d; n = 6), medium-dose (2.2 g/d; n = 4), or high-dose (4.4 g/d; n = 6). High-dose feeding maximized muscle VE accumulation (P = 0.0146), minimized salt-induced lipid peroxidation (P = 0.0082), and preserved redness (a* values; P = 0.0207). To maximize practical and economic viability by determining the minimum effective duration, Experiment 2 evaluated a high-dose regimen (3.7 g/d) for 10, 25, or 40 days (n = 5 per time point) against a control (0.35 g/d; n = 5). Forty-day supplementation achieved superior salted muscle VE (P = 0.0037, Cohen's d = 5.05), neutralized lipid peroxidation (P = 0.0005, Cohen's d = 6.05), and provided biologically meaningful pigment preservation (Cohen's d = 0.78).We conclude that a standardized 40-day, high-dose VE feeding protocol effectively fortifies calf muscle tissue in vivo before harvest, providing a robust physiological defense against post-slaughter salt processing to ensure superior oxidative stability.