Overview

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Groups

Objective

The goal of this work was to perform deep metabolic and nutritional profiling of submitted samples studying fatty acids, amino acids, phytochemicals, vitamins, and oxidative stress markers. These data provide insight into the nutritional composition of meat and the metabolic health of the animals.

The data was benchmarked against the average values for grass-fed and grain-fed samples in our database.

Study Workflow

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Key Findings

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• The MauiNui Axis Deer ribeye samples contained 2x more phytochemicals than grass-fed beef ribeyes, and 4x more phytochemicals than grain-fed beef ribeyes.

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• Common individual phytochemicals such as hippurate, catechol sulfate, and tryptophan betaine were found to be 2x to 28x times higher in the axis deer meat compared to grass-fed, and up to 50x higher compared to grain-fed beef.

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• The axis deer liver samples contained 3x more phytochemicals than the ribeye meat samples. Liver is known to concentrate more phytochemicals compared to muscle meat.

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• Axis deer liver samples were found to be 1.5x times higher in phytochemicals than grain-fed beef liver, though individual compounds such as 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid and tryptophan betaine, two flavonoid metabolites, were found to be up to 100x times higher.

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• The meat and liver samples also contained 1.5x and 5x more carotene (Vitamin A precursor) and alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E) than beef samples.

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Key Findings

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• In line with the findings on carotene, axis deer contained 5x more retinol (Vitamin A). The liver samples also contained 26x more retinol compared to grain-fed beef.

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• Axis deer ribeye samples contained 1.5x more choline, an essential vitamin, compared to grass-fed and grain-fed beef.

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• Vitamin B1 and B3 were up to 2x higher in the axis deer samples, while vitamin B5 and B6 remained 2x and 9x times lower in the axis deer samples compared to beef samples.

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• 4-HNE is considered an indicator of oxidative stress in mammalian species. Higher dietary intake in humans is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disease, thus lower levels may be considered beneficial.

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• 4-HNE was about 2.5x lower in the axis deer samples compared to grain-fed beef, indicating low oxidative stress in the animals.

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• Pyrraline, a common advanced glycation end-product, is believed to contribute to increased oxidative stress and inflammation. AGEs, are part of the reason why the WHO consider red meat as a potential carcinogen.

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Key Findings

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• We were unable to detect pyrraline in any of the deer samples indicating good metabolic health of the deer. We also found 1.3-1.5 times lower levels of another AGE, n6-carboxymethyllysine in the axis deer samples.

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• Anserine, a common dipeptide consider important for cognitive function in older adults, was 2.5x higher in the axis deer samples compared to beef samples.

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• DHA and EPA, two common omega-3 fatty acids, were 8 and 64x higher compared to grain-fed ribeyes.

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• ALA, the plant precursor to DHA and EPA was 20x and 50x higher compared to grass-fed and grain-fed beef samples, respectively.

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• In conclusion, the axis deer samples were nutrient-dense and had a favorable phytochemical, micronutrient, and fatty acid profile. This is likely explained by the ability to freely select from a broad diversity of forages on mountain pastures.

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• Future human nutrition trials compared axis deer to domesticated beef will be required to determine whether this translates into human health benefits.

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Phytochemicals

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Vitamins

• Vitamins are essential micronutrients required by the body to carry out a range of normal functions.

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• Water-soluble vitamin) must dissolve in water before they can be absorbed by the body, and therefore cannot be stored.

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• Fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in fat and tend to accumulate in the body. These vitamins include Vitamin A and Vitamin E.

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• Water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins) must dissolve in water before they can be absorbed by the body. Any water-soluble vitamins unused by the body is primarily lost through urine.

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• Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions. Vitamin A acts as a regulator of cell and tissue growth and. The B complex vitamins function as enzyme cofactors (coenzymes) in many bodily processes, including metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates and fats, while vitamins C and E function as antioxidants.

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• Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential dietary components that cannot be produced in our bodies and must be obtained by our diets and include Linoleic Acid (LA), an omega-6 fatty acid and α-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid.

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• While ALA can be converted to DHA and EPA, omega-3 fatty acids with well-known health benefits, a direct dietary source of these two fatty acids can also be considered beneficial, in addition to ALA intake.

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• The omega-3 fatty acids have well-known health benefits including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They may help lower the risk of getting heart disease, cancer, and liver diseases and could help improve brain function. They are also important for normal growth and development of infants.

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• The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is often used to determine fatty acid quality of a food source/diet. A lower ratio can, to a degree, be considered more beneficial, especially if we consider that the typical American diet is low in omega3s.

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• While saturated fat is typically considered detrimental for heart health, long-chain saturated fatty acids such as arachidate and behenate are associated with a decreased or neutral risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Having more of these fatty acids in the food may be considered beneficial.

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Fatty Acids

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• Advanced lipoxidation end products (ALEs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have a pathogenetic role in the development and progression of different oxidative-based diseases including diabetes, atherosclerosis, and neurological disorders.

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• AGE/ALEs are proteins or lipids that become glycated after exposure to sugars or are the result of oxidative degradation of lipids.

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• They are known to contribute to increased oxidant stress and inflammation, which are linked to increase risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Lower levels could be considered more favorable.

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• This metabolites are reflective of animal metabolic health, and could potentially have implications for consumer health.

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Oxidative Stress Markers

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Peptides

• A peptide is a short chain of amino acids, the building blocks of protein.

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• Common peptides exclusive or found in abundance in animal foods are taurine, anserine, and carnosine.

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• Some studies suggest that anserine and carnosine provide neurocognitive protection in humans and have anti-oxidant effects.

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• Taurine (derived from the latin word for bull “taurus”, is an amino acid found almost exclusively in animal foods, impacts nearly every vital organ in the body and plays vital roles in eye health, brain mitochondrial functions skeletal muscle cell differentiation and cardiovascular health.

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Xenobiotics

• Relating to or denoting a substance, typically a synthetic chemical or plant toxin, that is foreign to the body or can have harmful effects when ingested in substantial amounts.

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• the presence of antibiotic residues such 2,8-quinolinediol sulfate can indicate the use of fluoroquinolones (e.g., danofloxacin and enrofloxacin), which may be used as antibiotics in livestock.

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• While the use of anti-biotics can be vital to the health of livestock, systemic over usage can result in the accumulation of these compounds.

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