Aranda-Osorio, who recently completed a PhD in Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan, says meat quality - particularly meat tenderness - is a very important issue for exporter countries like Canada. In the United States the lack of consistency and uniformity in beef tenderness has caused losses of more than $200 million a year, so meat quality is an issue of great importance for the Canadian beef industry.

Aranda-Osorio studied ways to improve the quality of meat produced by feedlot producers.

"I chose this project because it was about beef cattle production - not just animal nutrition or animal physiology, but also meat quality and management. My interest is beef cattle production systems, how to improve them as a whole. This project gave me the opportunity to learn from different areas," Aranda-Osorio says.

His thesis examined ways to make beef more tender by giving cattle vitamin and minerals - specifically by manipulating the amount of vitamin D3 and calcium they receive. Vitamin D3 increases the levels of calcium in meat, and the calcium activates proteases which make the meat more tender.

Previous research has shown that giving cattle high levels of vitamin D3 for five to 10 days before slaughter makes beef more tender, Aranda-Osorio explains. However, these high levels of vitamin D3 pose a risk of vitamin D3 toxicity when the meat is eaten, so the amount of vitamin D3 needed to improve beef tenderness must be reduced before producers can use this method to produce more tender meat.

Aranda-Osorio conducted a series of four experiments. The purpose of the first two was to see how vitamin D3 supplements affected animal performance and calcium metabolism. In the third experiment the amount of calcium in the animals' diets was manipulated, and in the fourth experiment dietary calcium together with minerals were manipulated, and smaller amounts of vitamin D3 given.

Aranda-Osorio concluded that dietary calcium manipulation along with mineral supplementation reduces the amount of vitamin D3 required to increase plasma calcium to levels where improvements in beef tenderness have been found. This reduction in supplemental vitamin D3 means a considerable reduction of vitamin D3 in plasma and consequently in the meat.

While these are extremely promising results, he says that more research needs to be done before cattle farmers can start feeding their cattle vitamin D3 to produce consistently more tender beef.

But the research he has done is paying off for him - his findings have already been widely publicized. The results of the first two experiments were presented in the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society of Animal Science in Guelph, Ontario in July 2001. Results from experiments three and four were presented to the American and Canadian Societies of Animal Science this summer. As well, several papers are being revised for submission to the Journal of Animal and Feed Science and Technology and to the Journal of Animal Science.

During the course of his research, Aranda-Osorio also developed a new method for analysing vitamin D3. A paper about this has been submitted to the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research.

Aranda Osorio did his bachelor's degree in agricultural science at the University of Chapingo in Mexico, and his master's degree in agricultural science at Massey University in New Zealand, but he turned to Canada for his PhD.

"Canada in general and the U of S in particular were the best places to carry out this important endeavor in my life," says Aranda-Osorio.

He is returning to the University of Chapingo in Mexico to be a professor in the area of Beef Cattle Production Systems.

For more information, contact communications.office@usask.ca

Home · About Us · Issue dates · Submissions · AD Information · Back Issues · Headline Index · OCN Policies