Identification of the healthiest beef meat

The project's ultimate focus is to identify if there are healthier ways of producing beef meat than the present Norwegian feeding routines secure. One important aim of the project is to examine different beef meat's healthiness using the APCmin mouse as an end-point model for colon cancer. APC is an abbreviation for Adenomatous polyposis coli, a protein that in humans is encoded by the APC gene. Mutations in the APC gene may result in colorectal cancer. Another important aim of the project is to establish a platform in Norway that focusses on securing updated knowledge in the area of meat healthiness. Norwegian beef meat's mean composition and variation in nutrients have been measured and have been used as a platform for a feeding experiment where we targeted both to stabilize important nutrients and to increase nutrients that are assumed healthy. Proving the ability to produce more or less healthier beef meat will be attempted using the project's rodent model. This model that the project will use for ranking meat in terms of healthiness regarding colon cancer, was recently described in International Journal of Cancer (doi: 10.1002/ijc.29928) as a promising colon cancer model. In vitro experiments suggested that salmon filet produced the most peroxides that are believed to accelerate the development of colon cancer. Therefore have performed an experiment with the APCmin mouse where different raw materials (salmon, pork, poultry and beef) are explored regarding their colon cancer inducing potential. Chicken and beef meat was modified using additives. The work has been published and the outcome was that the mouse model could not differentiate between typical land based meat when compared to the control diet. The project has recently carried out an intervention with a high meat dose (300g minced meat /day) in a short period with young women as participants. The results are being prepared for publication.

The project focuses on providing a scientific background for being able to produce the best nutritional quality possible from meat of Norwegian cattles. This will be done by identifying the present variation in beef meat in the Norwegian market with respe ct to fatty acid composition, minerals and vitamins plus important pro- and antioxidants. A fraction of the most contrasted meats will be tested in a model animal (APCmin mouse) less protected against colon cancer combined with suitable control diets. End point, i.e. diagnosed colon cancer, will be aimed at when feeding the selected meats. The results from the animal studies, in combination with global knowledge in feeding of cattle, will be used to select improved feeds for cattle. These improved feeds w ill be tested and the outcome validated in the mice cancer model plus an in vitro digestion/fermentation model. A human intervention study is also planned using contrasted meats. The project will focus on the peroxidation/ nitrosation hypothesis. Challeng ing parts of the project is to obtain sufficiently contrasted meat that gives significant differences in the test systems available. The most applied outcome of the project will be revised advices on feeding or possibly revised advices on slaughtering tim e plus meat product profile. The project has also a strong focus on building competence in Norway in the area of meat and health. Thus a significant part of the project budget will be used to arrange an international workshop on meat and health issues and to use the input of international scientists and ongoing projects outside Norway to build a long term national knowledge platform that can support cattle farmers, meat producing industries as well as health authorities with updated knowledge concerning m eat and health issues.