title: Use of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and vitamin E to improve tenderness of beef from the longissimus dorsi of heifers.
abstract: The objective of this trial was to determine whether a single bolus of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) (25-OH D(3)), vitamin E, or a combination of the 2 would improve the tenderness of steaks from the LM of beef heifers. Forty-eight Angus crossbred heifers were allotted randomly to 8 pens. Six heifers were in each pen, and there were 2 pens per treatment. The 4 treatments included control (no 25-OH D(3) or vitamin E); 25-OH D(3) (500 mg of 25-OH D(3) administered as a one-time oral bolus 7 d before slaughter); vitamin E (1,000 IU of vitamin E administered daily as a top-dress for 104 d before slaughter); or combination (500 mg of 25-OH D(3) administered as a one-time oral bolus 7 d before slaughter and 1,000 IU of vitamin E administered daily as a top-dress for 104 d before slaughter). Blood samples were obtained on the day that heifers were allotted to treatments, on the day 25-OH D(3) was administered, and on the day before slaughter. Plasma calcium concentration was increased when 25-OH D(3) was administered with or without vitamin E (P < 0.007). In LM, calcium concentration tended to increase (P = 0.10) when 25-OH D(3) was administered alone but not when 25-OH D(3) was administered with vitamin E. Concentrations of 25-OH D(3) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) in plasma were increased when 25-OH D(3) was administered with or without vitamin E (P < 0.001). Steaks from heifers treated with 25-OH D(3) or vitamin E, but not both, tended to have lower Warner-Bratzler shear force than steaks in the control group at 14 d postmortem (P = 0.08). Postmortem protein degradation as measured by Western blot of the 30-kDa degradation product of troponin-T was increased with all treatments after 3 d postmortem (P </= 0.07), but not at 7 or 14 d postmortem. Unexpectedly, the use of 500 mg of 25-OH D(3) fed as an oral bolus 7 d before slaughter or 1,000 IU of vitamin E administered daily for 104 d before slaughter alone, but not in combination, effectively decreased Warner-Bratzler shear force.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Carnagey
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Huff-Lonergan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trenkle
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Wertz-Lutz
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Horst
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Beitz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000097:blood; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D002417:Cattle / Q000378:metabolism*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011897:Random Allocation; D033081:Shear Strength; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000032:analysis; D020107:Troponin T / Q000378:metabolism; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D020107:Troponin T; D014810:Vitamin E; D002117:Calcitriol; D002112:Calcifediol; D002118:Calcium