Chemical and physical properties of meat of bulls and steers fed mycorrhizal or conventional corn

Arbuscular mycorrhizal based bio-fertilizers are an emerging tool for a sustainable intensive crop culture such as corn. The study aimed to compare the retail yield quality of meat from young bulls and steers fed diets based on mycorrhizal (Myc) and conventional corn (Conv). The trial was carried out on the meat of 10 steers received a Myc corn diet, 10 steers and 10 bulls received a conventional corn diet. The chemical composition of meat, in particular the fatty acid (FA) profile and the rheological characteristics, such as meat cooking shrinkage, together with the Vis-NIR-IR properties of the thawed and the freeze-dried specimens (by means of a pocket SCIO Molecular Sensor) were evaluated. This first study of Myc corn on new feed functionalities has led to unexpected results. The pentadecanoic and heptadecanoic odd FAs in the lipids of the longissimus thoracis muscle may appear as a sign of the adopted “eco-symbiotic” feeding system, perhaps because of an enhancement of the ruminal factor. The improvement in the water holding capacity retail quality traits, promoted by Myc corn, could be explained by other compounds that protect the proteins and lipids from oxidation processes and the muscular fibres from water relaxation. The effect of castration led to the already well-known retail quality improvements in cooking, color and FA profile. A broth examination, by means of a simple colorimeter, can offer useful information about the differences in sex of animals, but also about the use of Myc corn. A small number of raw samples, scanned by means of Vis-NIR-IR instruments, allow the feeding system of a lot to be discriminated, and in this context a pocket SCIO NIR device could be useful.