Study Reveals: Pasture-Raised Beef Boasts Higher Levels of Healthy Fats Compared to Grain-Finished Animals

Since 2019, New Zealand scientists have been undertaking a research programme to explore the differences between pasture-raised beef with grain-fed beef and alternative proteins. The programme has been broken down into four stages.

The second stage of this research led by Drs Mike Boland and Lovedeep Kaur of the Riddet Institute, explored how the human digestion system responds to these different foods and how their nutrients are then absorbed by the body. This recently published paper in Foods describes part of the work in stage two and compares the digestion of proteins and fats in beef raised on pasture versus beef finished with grain.

Dr Lovedeep Kaur led the research team for this study.

“Previous research has recognised the differences in the fat composition between pasture-raised and grain-finished beef, however little is known about how the meat is digested and the availability of these healthier fats.”

To perform the study, the researchers cooked two popular cuts of lean beef - eye fillet (tenderloin) and sirloin (striploin). They then used an internationally-recognised model in the lab to mimic the human digestive system, called INFOGEST, checking how much protein was broken down and how many different types of fats were released from the beef during digestion.

Dr Kaur said they found no major differences in protein digestibility between the two types of beef. However, they found differences in the fats.

“Pasture-raised beef had higher amounts of healthier omega-3 fatty acids and fewer saturated fats compared to the grain-finished beef.”

Good fats such as Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish) are linked with potential health benefits including better heart health. Saturated fats have generally been thought of as ‘bad fat’. High consumption of some saturated fatty acids has been linked with adverse health outcomes.

Kaur says, “What the research shows is that what an animal eats impacts the nutritional properties of the meat. This suggests the type of diet cattle are fed - pasture or grain - can influence the types of fats found in the meat and how these are released during digestion.”

“In New Zealand sheep and beef cattle are mainly free-range and pasture-fed unlike the grain-finished or grain-fed cattle in many other countries. It is important to understand the nutritional quality of meat if it is raised the New Zealand way.”

More about the Pasture Raised Advantage research programme can be found here.

Click here to read the published paper.