{"id":12745,"date":"2020-05-29T16:39:57","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T14:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/?p=12745"},"modified":"2020-05-29T16:39:57","modified_gmt":"2020-05-29T14:39:57","slug":"meat-a-deposit-of-micronutrients-useful-for-human-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/meat-a-deposit-of-micronutrients-useful-for-human-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Meat, a deposit of micronutrients useful for human health"},"content":{"rendered":"

By modulating the nutrition of animals in farms it is possible to improve the content of micronutrients in meat. Thus, it becomes a “key functional food”.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Meat<\/strong> is an extraordinary food, for its very dense nutritional value<\/strong> and for the possibility of modifying it naturally, to enhance and transform it into real functional food, that is, capable of positively influencing physiological functions<\/strong> of the body and reducing the risk of pathologies linked to the diet. By modulating animal nutrition, it is possible to improve the content of micronutrients in meat<\/strong>, with a consequent positive impact on human health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n#Meat is a functional #food, capable of positively influencing physiological functions of the #body and reducing the risk of #pathologies linked to the #diet. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

Research in recent years has focused on trying to make foods more nutritious and healthier<\/strong>, and meat is an optimal matrix for the designing of functional products. Already rich in bioactive compounds<\/strong>, which in the past were mistakenly thought to be a quality of plant foods only, meat is the optimal source of nutraceutical substances<\/strong> intervening in a concrete and real way in the prevention of diseases, improving general health.<\/p>\n

In particular, the aim was to satisfy consumer requests by decreasing the content of saturated fat and cholesterol and increasing that of unsaturated omega 3 long-chain PUFA fatty acids<\/strong>, with proven beneficial effects on health. The same thing happened for the levels of minerals, especially selenium and iodine<\/strong>, which have a key role in the well-being of the body and are the most susceptible to a deficiency in the population.<\/p>\n

By intervening ad hoc on the formulation of animal feed<\/a>, the content of selenium and iodine increases considerably<\/strong> in muscle and consequently in meat, obtaining an average increase of iodine in beef and poultry meat up to 76%<\/a>, compared to others minerals such as iron and zinc<\/strong>, whose levels are highly variable between meats of different species – and currently do not appear to depend on their concentrations in feed<\/strong>.<\/p>\nBy intervening on the formulation of #AnimalFeed, the content of #selenium and #iodine increases in muscle and consequently in #meat, obtaining an increase of iodine in #beef and #poultry up to 76%. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

Different strategies are possible to optimize the nutritional composition of meat: for example, by incorporating conjugated linoleic acid<\/a> (CLA) already in milk for calves, this antioxidant compound<\/strong> is then found in the meat with proven anti-tumor<\/strong> and anti-diabetic<\/strong> effects and protection from cardiovascular disease<\/strong>, from obesity and osteoporosis<\/strong>, with important positive impacts on our health<\/strong>. In adult ruminants, the same result is obtained through dietary supplementation with oils and oilseeds, while in chickens and pigs with the addition of CLA to the feed.<\/p>\n

Also, by integrating the diet of calves with selenium and vitamin E<\/a>, the concentration of these important antioxidants in the muscles and therefore in meat is increased, significantly improving the lipid stability and the final quality of the product<\/strong>. Initially, meats were not the main source of vitamin E, while today thanks to the dietary fortification<\/a> that has increased their content, they have become a discrete source, with poultry second in the ranking of the best food sources of <\/strong>\u03b1<\/strong>– tocopherol<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At present, thanks to these strategies it is possible to produce meat from pigs and chickens<\/strong> with selenium content 10 times higher<\/strong> and according to a study<\/a>, 175 g of meat obtained from pigs fed with feed integrated with 0.4 mg Se\/kg can cover the daily selenium requirement<\/strong> recommended for adults.<\/p>\n

The same mechanism<\/a> for minerals such as calcium and magnesium<\/strong> or for the important vitamin D<\/a>, the lack of which is of concern worldwide: meat obtained from cattle fed with a diet enriched with vitamin D<\/strong> is characterized by a higher concentration, also increasing the tenderness and red color<\/strong> of flesh. The addition of magnesium<\/strong> to pig feed also improves the color of meat<\/a>, reduces the oxidation of fats, and the loss of liquids<\/strong> during cooking.<\/p>\nToday it is possible to produce #meat from #pigs and #chickens with a #selenium content of 10 times higher. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

Calcium and magnesium in cold cuts<\/strong> are used as a strategy<\/a> to replace and reduce the use of salt in percentages up to 50%<\/strong>. To obtain meat with less cholesterol<\/strong>, copper can be added<\/a> to chicken feed and CLA to pig feed<\/a>, or during the production of cold cuts<\/strong> using fermenting bacteria<\/a> that metabolize cholesterol, reducing its content in the final product.<\/p>\n

Considering that 86% of what is used for feeding livestock<\/a> is not edible for humans, farmed animals are a great resource<\/strong>, as efficient converters of low or no nutritional quality food for humans in noble proteins<\/strong> and micronutrients essential for us; the intelligent use of new classes of mineral and vitamin nutrients, rigorously based on scientific evidence and capable of optimizing the physiological processes and well-being of our farmed animals, has the effect of obtaining meat with an even higher concentration of nutrients<\/strong>: thus meat becomes a “key functional food”, indispensable for covering essential nutritional needs of the entire world population and for health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By modulating the nutrition of animals in farms it is possible to improve the content of micronutrients in meat. Thus, it becomes a “key functional food”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":12746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[681],"tags":[3153,3149,3150,3152,3151],"class_list":["post-12745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-nutrition","tag-cla-en","tag-meat-key-functional-food","tag-meat-micronutrients","tag-meat-selenium-content","tag-nutraceutical-properties-of-meat"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t