Lipid rich diet from sunflower seeds can alter the proportion of fatty acids on hybrid Beefalo × Nellore cattle

We evaluated the lipid level effects in the diet on performance, carcass, and meat characteristics of forty-eight steers and heifers, F1 Beefalo ( Bostaurus taurus × Bison bison hybrid) × Nellore ( Bos taurus indicus ), 22 months old, being 24 steers (393.2 ± 15 kg) and 24 heifers (278.4 ± 8 kg). The animals were distributed in a completely randomized design in a 4 × 2 factorial scheme (lipid levels in diet 55-, 65-, 75-, and 85-g/kg dry matter obtained by whole sunflower grain Helianthus annuus and two sexes). Increased amounts of sunflower grain in diet linearly reduce the proportion of saturated fatty acids (FA) in longissimus thoracis. Diets containing up to 85 g/kg of lipid can be used without negative effects on intake, carcass, and meat quality of Beefalo-Nellore steers and heifers and can be an effective strategy to reduce the proportion of saturated FA and increase unsaturated FA on the meat, which can be beneficial for human consumption.