Pasture-Raised Advantage Research: Stage Two Q&A

New Zealand scientists are conducting a ground-breaking research programme to explore the differences between pasture-raised beef with grain-fed beef and alternative proteins.

As part of this research programme, researchers have compared the digestion differences between pasture-raised beef, grain-finished beef, and a plant-based alternative. To mimic the human digestive tract, researchers used simulators in the laboratory to observe the differences. You can read a summary of their research here.

Due to the comprehensive nature of the research, there are many questions that may arise. We’ve provided answers to some of the most common questions below.

1) What does beef ‘finished on grain’ mean versus ‘pasture-raised’ beef?

The grain-finished (or fed) beef in our study is from cattle that were pasture-raised for about a year and a half before being fed an energy-rich, grain-based diet for the final 120-180 days of their life in a feed-lot system. Most beef in the United States is grain-finished (or fed). On the other hand, pasture-raised cattle graze on pasture in a natural environment throughout their lives.

2) How much New Zealand beef is from animals finished (or fed) on grain?

In New Zealand, sheep and beef cattle are overwhelmingly free-range and pasture-fed, unlike the grain-finished (or fed)/feed-lot livestock many people are concerned about. Animals can roam outside all year round, thanks to New Zealand’s temperate climate.

3) What do you mean by digestibility?

The term digestibility refers to the amount of a nutrient that will potentially be digested and absorbed in the human body. This is not the same as amount of a food consumed – because you can’t always remove all of the nutrients from a food when you digest it.

4) How did you measure digestibility in the laboratory?

We have simulators in our laboratory that can mimic the human digestive tract. We often use those simulators to screen a number of food samples before selecting samples for a clinical trial.

5) What are good fats?

Fats, which are linked with potential health benefits, such as omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids - docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) - have been linked to better cardiovascular health. These are usually found in fish and seafood.

6) What are bad fats?

‘Saturated fat’ has generally been thought to be ‘bad fat’. But increasingly, scientific evidence is showing that not all fatty acids that belong to this class of ‘saturated fat’ are bad for health. High consumption of some saturated fatty acids such as Palmitic acid have been linked with adverse health outcomes. These are found in animal foods but also plant oils, including coconut and palm oils, which are sometimes added in processed foods, including plant-based meat alternatives.

7) Doesn’t red meat have high levels of bad fats?

The amounts of saturated and unsaturated fats vary in meat, depending on the meat cut. Meat contains high levels of saturated fatty acids, but we are seeing that not all fatty acids have the same effect on health. There is scientific evidence that only some saturated fatty acids may lead to adverse health outcomes, if consumed at high levels.

Meat also contains some good fatty acids, which are generally found in fish sources, such as DHA and EPA. These fatty acids are beneficial for health.

8) But isn’t plant-based protein healthier than red meat?

Every food provides nutrients and these impact on your health. A balanced diet contains components to provide you with the ideal mixture that your body needs. You need protein in your diet, and this can come from meat, eggs, dairy, and plants. Meat proteins, in general, have quite high digestibility among food proteins. This means most of the proteins are digestible and bioavailable to you when you eat them (you can absorb them). Plant proteins are generally known to be less digestible than animal proteins.

9) So is New Zealand red meat easier to digest than the alternative protein?

Our results suggest that the plant-based alternative that we tested had lower protein digestibility than meat in general. We have tested only one plant-based alternative product. Different alternative products contain different alternative (non-animal) proteins, therefore their digestibility may vary.

10) Why is it harder to digest alternative proteins?

Generally, animal proteins have better digestibility than plant proteins, but not all alternative proteins are harder to digest. Plant and animal proteins have different structure and composition, which is possibly the reason for differences in their digestibility.

11) What are the benefits to my body of eating pasture-raised beef versus grain- finished or fed?

In our recent study, we found that the pasture-raised meat released lower amounts of some saturated fats, that have been linked with adverse health outcomes. The pasture-raised meat also released higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids - EPA and DHA -compared with grain-fed or finished beef. Dietary intake of these fatty acids has been recommended in dietary guidelines worldwide.

It is important to mention that this is an in vitro study. The results need to be confirmed and validated through clinical trials in humans.

12) Will I get more protein and good fats gram for gram eating red meat than eating an alternative protein?

Because this work was done in a simulator we cannot say exactly. However, we can say that the plant-based meat alternative that we tested contained much lower protein- half compared to the meat cuts we studied; and much higher fat - nearly five times compared to the meat we studied.

We also know that compared to most of the meat cuts that we tested, the plant-based alternative had much higher concentrations of saturated fatty acids released after digestion. This is possibly due to one of its ingredients, the added coconut fat. As this is a formulated product, it also contains plant-based oils such as canola, which is a source of some good unsaturated fatty acids. But the specific Omega-3 fatty acids found in red meat that have been linked with better heart health, were found to be lacking in the plant-based protein.

13) Why does what the animal eats affect how nutritious the meat is?

The composition of the fat in the meat that you eat is very much affected by what the animal it came from has been eating. The protein amount in the meat you eat is also affected by the animal’s lifestyle, but the composition of protein within the meat is largely determined by the animal’s genetics.

The differences we observed in our study, we believe, are caused by the grain-based diet the animal has eaten. Grains are energy-dense and have high concentrations of starch. When the animals eat this, it cannot be converted into some of the fatty acids that are produced when the animals eat pasture. So, it is the diet and the animal metabolism (specific to ruminant animals like cows and sheep) that very much dictates the composition of the meat protein and fat, that you eat.

14) What was the plant alternative used in the study?

“There was one processed plant alternative (containing plant proteins, plant fats and some other ingredients) used in this study, which is currently available on the New Zealand market. This plant alternative was chosen because it was readily available in New Zealand and similar products are usually considered to replace beef in meals for those looking for alternative non-meat options. The alternative will be identified once the research is peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal.”