Physicochemical composition, fatty acid profile and sensory attributes of meat (longissimus lumborum muscle) from Nellore and Nellore-cross bulls

This study aimed to compare the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid composition, and sensory attributes of the meat from three genetic groups: Nellore (Nell), 1/2 Nellore x 1/2 Angus (NeAn), and 1/4 Nellore x 1/4 Angus x 1/2 Senepol (NASe). Longissimus lumborum muscle from 30 slaughtered bulls with a body weight of 549 +/- 32.5 kg was used. The water holding capacity was greater for the Nell and NeAn groups than for the NASe group. Meat samples from the NASe group exhibited a higher L* index than those from the NeAn group and lower a* and b* color indexes than those from the Nell group. The meat fatty acid profiles showed that the Nell group had higher concentrations of 12:0, 14:0, 18:1 t11, 14:1 c9, 16:1 c9, 18:1 c9, 18:1 c11, 18:2 c9, t11 (conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)), and 20:3 n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) than the NeAn and NASe groups. The total saturated (sigma SFA), unsaturated (sigma UFA), and monounsaturated (sigma MUFA) fatty acid concentrations were higher and the sigma PUFA:sigma SFA ratio was lower in the Nell group than in the NeAn group. The Delta(9)-desaturase C16 activity was significantly higher in the Nell and NASe groups than in the NeAn group. The atherogenicity index (AI) tended to be lower in the crossbreeds than in the Nell breed. The NASe group presented meat with better tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptance than the Nell and NeAn groups and was therefore the best genetic group for beef production of the tested groups.