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Abstract
Beef products are often scrutinized in the scientific community and media for containing elevated omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids and negligible amounts of omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids due to ruminal biohydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Increasing dietary n-3 in relation to n-6 fatty acids determines dietary healthfulness; thus, red meat producers are interested in increasing their products’ n-3 PUFA content. Unfortunately, literature documents increasing meat n-3 content caused detrimental effects on fresh quality and palatability attributes, but when animal diets were managed correctly, these effects were eliminated. In the present study, a microalgae/flaxseed supplement was fed to steers to evaluate effects on ground beef composition, color stability, and palatability. Overall, supplementation did not negatively affect product color stability nor palatability as other feeding regimens have in previous studies.