Fatty acid composition and conjugated linoleic acid content of intramuscular fat in crossbred cattle with and without Wagyu genetics fed a barley-based diet

Fatty acid composition and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content in pars costalis diaphragmatis (PCD) muscle from European and British crossbred (EBC; no Wagyu genetics) and Wagyu crossbred (WC; 75% Wagyu genetics) beef cattle were determined. Conjugated linoleic acid contents of PCD muscle from EBC (1.7 mg CLA g−1 lipid) and WC (1.8 mg CLA g−1 lipid) cattle were similar (P > 0.05), while WC cattle had higher (P < 0.05) CLA content 100 g−1 of beef on a DM basis because the lipid content of meat from WC cattle was greater (P < 0.05) than that from EBC cattle Key words: Conjugated linoleic acid, Wagyu, fatty acids, barley, beef cattle