Grass Fed Beef: Weatherbury Farm, southwest of Pittsburgh. Beta Carotene

Japanese importers place a premium on beef with ultra-white fat, which is difficult for New Zealand ranchers to achieve because they fatten their cattle on pasture. (Grass is rich in the antioxidant vitamin beta-carotene, which lends a healthy, creamy color to meat fat.) In a recent experiment, New Zealand researchers experimented with taking cattle off pasture and fattening them American-style on grain. Because grain is more expensive in New Zealand than it is in the States, grain-feeding was limited to less than 2 months. The experiment failed. The fat color did not change appreciably, even though serum levels of beta-carotene dropped 97 percent. What's more, 1) the animals weighed less than animals that were allowed to stay on pasture, 2) their meat was tougher, and 3) the meat lost more moisture when cooked.

Data from: "Short-term Grain Feeding and its Effect on Carcass and Meat Quality." Proceedings of the New Zealand Grasslands Association 1997. 57:275-277.

Beef fed through conventional feedlots contains approximately 41 μg of beta-carotene/100 grams (g) of ground beef and approximately 36 μg in a typical ribeye steak. Cattle fattened predominately on ryegrass effectively doubles the beta-carotene content in both steak (64 μg) and groundbeef (87 μg). ⁽¹⁾

Although beef is not a major source of beta-carotene, grass-fed beef supplies two times the beta-carotene of conventional beef. A typical 3 ounce (oz.) serving would provide 10% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for beta-carotene for women as compared to 5 % supplied by conventional beef.⁽²⁾

References
1. Simonne AH, Green NR, Bransby JI. Consumer acceptability and beta-carotene content of beef as related to cattle finishing diets. J Food Sci 1996:61:1254-1256.
2. National Institute of Health Clinical Center, 2002: Facts about dietary supplements).
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Grass Fed Beef Health Benefits: Rich in Beta Carotene

Grass Fed Beef Health Benefits:
Rich in Beta Carotene