EN
Meat has been always a basic ingredient of the human diet. Currently, health experts are recommending a diet low in SFA and high in MUFA and PUFA, particularly from n-3 series. Unfortunately, beef fat contains a high level of SFA and a low proportion of essential PUFA. For this reason meat is considered a risk factor in the development of many diseases, such as obesity, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease and cancers. The fatty acid profile of meat fat can be modified by supplementing diets for ruminants with vegetable or fish oils. New varieties of linseed and rapeseed, high in linoleic or linolenic acid, and fish oil, also high in EPA and DHA, can be very useful to improve the health quality of meat. Despite the hydrogenation in the rumen, some dietary fat bypasses the rumen intact and can be incorporated into the tissues.