Nutrient Density in Beef Data Dashboard

Overview of the Nutrient Density in Beef Study

Welcome to the Bionutrient Institute’s “Nutrient Density in Beef” Notebook, a comprehensive resource documenting the organization’s Beef Study. The notebook is a tool for hosting nutrition and food metadata for the purposes of communication, research, and development; it’s not intended to replace a published academic study.

Purpose of the Study

This study, spearheaded by the Bionutrient Institute, represents a pioneering effort to define nutrient density in beef. Building on extensive research into nutrient variability in crops, it ventures into new territory by examining how farm management practices, genetics, soil health, forage quality, and the microbiome influence beef nutrient composition. The findings aim to empower consumers, farmers, and supply chain managers with actionable insights into beef's nutritional value, facilitating informed decisions at every level of the supply chain.

Study Leadership and Collaborators

The study was a collaborative effort managed by the Bionutrient Institute in partnership with Edacious and Utah State University. The Bionutrient Institute oversaw participant engagement, sample collection, and communication. Utah State University’s Van Vliet lab led the majority of the analytical work, ensuring the scientific rigor of the results. Edacious contributed expertise in scientific analysis and provided data and software infrastructure to visualize and disseminate the findings.

Objectives of the Research

The primary objective of this initiative is to build a foundational dataset that can be leveraged to create a definition of nutrient density in beef. By analyzing a range of macronutrients, micronutrients, phytochemical compounds, soil metrics, microbiome, management practices, fodder dynamics, and human health responses, the study aims to define nutrient density in the context of these environmental and human-health factors.

Participant Engagement and Sample Collection

The study adopted a collaborative model that included a diverse group of participants from four continents—beef producers, researchers, organizations, and citizen scientists. Participants contributed by submitting samples of meat, soil, forage, and stool for analysis and completing detailed questionnaires on their management practices. In return, they received comprehensive reports based on their contributions.

To ensure accuracy and consistency, participants adhered to standardized protocols for sample collection. This approach produced a robust dataset linking management practices to nutrient outcomes. Ribeye steak samples were collected from cattle raised under various management systems, such as grass-fed and feedlot-finished operations, to capture a broad range of nutrient variability.

Soil samples were analyzed for carbon content, mineral availability, pH levels, and nitrogen content to assess environmental influences on forage and beef quality. Forage samples underwent mineral and phenolic profiling to evaluate feed quality. Cattle stool samples were subjected to 16S RNA sequencing to examine gut microbiome profiles and their role in nutrient absorption, as well as to identify the range of species in the animals' diets.

What’s In the Notebook? Nutritional Analysis and Measurement Techniques

The notebook includes a limited set of data collected during the study. It currently includes nutrition, breed, pasture, and production data but excludes soil, forage, and stool data as this data is still being synthesized and compiled by the Institute. The full study data is expected to be compiled and available to research partners early in 2025.

The study analyzed a variety of nutrients, including proximates (total fat, total protein), fatty acids, minerals, and phytochemicals. These were reported as concentration units. Utah State continues to refine its analysis to include profiles of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E) and B vitamins, with results expected in early 2025.

Initially, the study employed a metabolomics approach to assess relative nutrient abundance but later transitioned to a targeted analysis to determine absolute concentrations. This shift allowed for a better understanding of how nutrient density impacts human health by putting nutrient concentrations in the context of nutrient requirements.

Preliminary Findings

The study, while currently on-going, revealed significant variability in beef nutrient density, driven by diverse production factors. Early findings are showing that beef from cattle raised on diverse pastures exhibited lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratios and higher phytochemical richness compared to beef from monoculture pastures or feedlots. Key nutrients such as secondary metabolites, fatty acids, and minerals, alongside soil and forage metrics, demonstrated the influence of management practices. These findings highlight opportunities for improving nutrient density through targeted interventions.

Next Steps

With the launch of the Institute’s dashboard, we are now inviting submissions to join the Bionutrient Definition Standards Board (BDSB). We seek highly knowledgeable individuals in the fields of soil agronomy, gut microbiology, nutritional biochemistry, beef cattle management, and human inflammation. Submissions will be carefully reviewed, and selected members will contribute to analyzing individual datasets. These datasets will be used to create scaled reports ranking each component from best to worst. The findings will then be integrated into an algorithm to establish the first-ever definition of the Institute’s definition of Nutrient Density in Beef. If you would like to nominate someone for the board—whether yourself or another individual—you are welcome to begin the process here.