Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systems
Abstract As concerns regarding beef production on human and environmental health increase, interest in sustainable practices has grown. This study compared soil, plant, and meat samples from three Southern US grass-fed beef systems to a paired grain-fed beef system to assess soil health, forage phyt...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | npj Science of Food |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00471-2 |
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| author | Muhammad Ahsin Matt H. Poore Johnny Rogers Alan Franzluebbers Sierra N. Young Scott L. Kronberg Frederick D. Provenza James R. Bain Stephan van Vliet |
| author_facet | Muhammad Ahsin Matt H. Poore Johnny Rogers Alan Franzluebbers Sierra N. Young Scott L. Kronberg Frederick D. Provenza James R. Bain Stephan van Vliet |
| author_sort | Muhammad Ahsin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract As concerns regarding beef production on human and environmental health increase, interest in sustainable practices has grown. This study compared soil, plant, and meat samples from three Southern US grass-fed beef systems to a paired grain-fed beef system to assess soil health, forage phytochemical richness, and meat nutritional composition. Soil samples from pasturelands had 1.4 times higher organic matter and 1.7- to 3.0-fold higher levels of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium compared to paired feed croplands. Grass-fed beef contained 3.1-fold higher phytochemical antioxidants than grain-fed beef, resulting from a 118.2-fold higher phytochemical content in forage. Vitamins A and E in grass-fed beef were also 2.9- and 4.2-fold higher, respectively. Urate levels were 2.0-fold higher in grass-fed samples, while homocysteine and 4-hydroxynonenal glutathione, associated with reduced metabolic health, were elevated in grain-fed samples. The study provides evidence of the beneficial effects of grass-fed beef systems along the soil-plant-animal-human nutrition continuum. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-522ea0cfbfb741c7a480ac4dd701acd7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2396-8370 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | npj Science of Food |
| spelling | doaj-art-522ea0cfbfb741c7a480ac4dd701acd72025-08-20T03:43:30ZengNature Portfolionpj Science of Food2396-83702025-07-019111510.1038/s41538-025-00471-2Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systemsMuhammad Ahsin0Matt H. Poore1Johnny Rogers2Alan Franzluebbers3Sierra N. Young4Scott L. Kronberg5Frederick D. Provenza6James R. Bain7Stephan van Vliet8Center for Human Nutrition Studies, Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences, Utah State UniversityDepartment of Animal Science, North Carolina State UniversityDepartment of Animal Science, North Carolina State UniversityUSDA-Agricultural Research ServiceDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Utah State UniversityUSDA-Agricultural Research ServiceDepartment of Wildland Resources, Utah State UniversityDuke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University School of MedicineCenter for Human Nutrition Studies, Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences, Utah State UniversityAbstract As concerns regarding beef production on human and environmental health increase, interest in sustainable practices has grown. This study compared soil, plant, and meat samples from three Southern US grass-fed beef systems to a paired grain-fed beef system to assess soil health, forage phytochemical richness, and meat nutritional composition. Soil samples from pasturelands had 1.4 times higher organic matter and 1.7- to 3.0-fold higher levels of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium compared to paired feed croplands. Grass-fed beef contained 3.1-fold higher phytochemical antioxidants than grain-fed beef, resulting from a 118.2-fold higher phytochemical content in forage. Vitamins A and E in grass-fed beef were also 2.9- and 4.2-fold higher, respectively. Urate levels were 2.0-fold higher in grass-fed samples, while homocysteine and 4-hydroxynonenal glutathione, associated with reduced metabolic health, were elevated in grain-fed samples. The study provides evidence of the beneficial effects of grass-fed beef systems along the soil-plant-animal-human nutrition continuum.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00471-2 |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Ahsin Matt H. Poore Johnny Rogers Alan Franzluebbers Sierra N. Young Scott L. Kronberg Frederick D. Provenza James R. Bain Stephan van Vliet Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systems npj Science of Food |
| title | Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systems |
| title_full | Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systems |
| title_fullStr | Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systems |
| title_short | Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systems |
| title_sort | soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in southern us grass finished beef systems |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00471-2 |
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