NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
May 11, 2000
As bison production continues to be a growing livestock enterprise on farms and ranches, and bison meat is becoming more available to consumers in supermarkets and restaurants, researchers are working to learn more about the nutrient content of bison meat.
Martin Marchello of the animal and range sciences department at North Dakota State University and Judy Driskell of the University of Nebraska's nutritional sciences and dietetics department recently analyzed meat samples from grass-finished bison for nutrient content and compared the results to earlier data from grain-finished bison. Results suggest that bison meat is a high protein, low fat product, and that there is little difference in meat from grass- or grain-finished bison.
In the study on grass-finished bison, Marchello and Driskell examined cuts of meat from 31 young bison bulls from various geographic areas. Because of the diversity of grasses in these areas, the researchers believe that the meat from these bulls is representative of the bison meat that consumers can buy. These results were then compared to data from an earlier study involving meat from 100 young bison bulls fed to slaughter weight on grain rather than grass. This was also a diverse group of animals, coming from nine states and three Canadian provinces.
Essentially, says Marchello, they saw no real difference between the two sets of data. The protein content was high in both grass- and grain-finished animals. Bison meat would be considered an excellent source of protein according to Federal Drug Administration regulations, he says.
The fat content of meat from grass-finished bison was about half a percentage point less than that from grain-fed animals, and the moisture content was a little higher. "You would expect a decrease in the moisture content of the grain-finished bison, because there is an inverse relationship between fat and moisture in the animalas an animal puts on more fat it will decrease its water content," Marchello says.
FDA regulations indicate that a food containing less than 5 grams of fat per 100-gram serving is low in fat. Fat content of the meat from grass-finished bison was 1.7 percent; meat from grain-finished bison contained 2.2 percent fat.
There was a difference in the fatty acid profile between grass- and grain-finished bison, with the grass-finished meat being higher in saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat but lower in monounsaturated fat.
Cholesterol content from the two groups was very similar, at 65 milligrams per 100 grams for the grass-finished animals and 66 for the grain-finished. Bison meat is considered lean meat according to FDA, because it contains less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams of meat. The calorie content of bison meat is also relatively low, at 133 calories per 100-gram serving for the grass-finished bison and 141 calories for the grain-finished animals.
Mineral content of the meat was very similar between the two groups of animals. Bison meat is low in sodium, a good source of iron, and an excellent source of phosphorus and zinc. Selenium content is higher in meat from grass-finished bison. Studies with cattle and sheep have shown that grasses will accumulate selenium, and grazing animals will incorporate that selenium into body tissue.
These results indicate only minimal differences in the nutrient content of meat from bison finished on grass and those finished on grain, but there is still only limited data. More research, especially controlled feeding studies, will be possible at NDSU's Bison Center for the Northern Plains being developed at the Carrington Research Extension Center, Marchello says.
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Source: Martin Marchello (701) 231-7682
Editor: Gary Moran (701) 231-7865