Certification of Grass-fed Quality Characteristics of Beef Based on Small Molecule Markers

Researchers at Purdue University and the University of Sao Paulo have developed a method to determine the type of feed provided to the cattle. Grass-fed beef has been recognized as healthier than grain-fed beef. However, there has been no optimum way to independently validate the grass-fed claim. The Purdue and Sao Paulo researchers' method uses a lipid panel coupled with mass spectrometry to identify the metabolized products of grass and grain, allowing determination of whether the cows were fed grass or grain in finishing. This technology allows for a fast and accurate approach to determine the beef quality and meet certification requirements, reducing costs and risk of adulteration.

Technology Validation: 7 lipids were identified that correlated with luminosity, 43 with redness, and 132 with shear force. Luminosity, redness, and shear force each has a distinct characteristic for grass-fed and grain-fed beef.

Advantages

- fast (<2 minutes)

- on-site analysis

- avoids certification costs and adulteration

- increased consumer confidence

Applications

- validation of finishing feed composition for cattle

For additional information, please visit Dr. Ferreira's homepage: https://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/bioscience/directory/view.php?id=3037

TRL: 2

Intellectual Property:

Keywords: Grass-fed beef validation, grain-fed beef determination, lipid panel, mass spectrometry, finishing feed composition, beef quality, certification requirements, adulteration reduction, fast analysis, on-site analysis, Agriculture, Beef quality, Grass-fed, Lipids, Mass Spectrometry, Molecular markers