This observational analysis shows increased intramuscular fat in beef steers receiving vitamin A, implying its role in adipogenesis and gene expression regulation.
Key Points
Neonatal vitamin A supplementation significantly increased intramuscular fat from 2.57% to 4.10%, indicating enhanced fat deposition.
Transcriptomic analysis identified 217 differentially expressed genes, highlighting vitamin A's impact on muscle biology across development phases.
The study employed a controlled intervention comparing vitamin A treatment against placebo for assessing molecular and chemical composition outcomes.
Vitamin A may enable improved fat deposition in beef steers without affecting overall growth performance or carcass traits.