Relationship of stable carbon isotope concentration in diet and tissues of beef cattle

Abstract

Abstract: The effect of quantity of C₃ or C₄ plants in diets on the carbon (δ¹³C) stable isotope composition of different types of beef tissues were investigated. Eighteen (12 to 14 months old) young bulls were randomly divided into six groups and fed with a diet consisting of 52.0%,61.6%,71.2%,80.8%,90.4%,or 100% C₄ plant material. The remainder of the dietary constituents was from C₃ plants. The cattle were butchered after 132 days. The δ¹³C values of cattle tail hair, defatted muscle, crude fat and each feed material were determined by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The stable carbon isotope compositions of the beef tissues were primarily affected by diet, and the difference of δ¹³C value of cattle tail hair fed on the same diet decreased with time. The δ¹³C values of cattle tail hair, defatted muscle and crude fat all become enriched with increasing proportions of C₄ constituents in the diet. Moreover, all δ¹³C values of the different tissues (cattle tail hair＞defatted muscle＞crude fat) were significantly correlated with the content of C₄ plant material. Based on these results, it is possible for the proportion of C₄ plant material to be estimated from the δ¹³C values of the different tissue samples, thus the cattle tail hair, defatted muscle and crude fat can all be used to trace back to diet.

CLC Number:

S823.4

SUN Feng-mei, WANG Hui-wen, SHI Guang-yu, YANG Shu-ming. Relationship of stable carbon isotope concentration in diet and tissues of beef cattle[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2012, 21(2): 205-211.

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