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Descrição
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Global demand for animal derived foods is increasing by more than two percent per annum, against a background of greater competition for natural resources, risks of biodiversity loss and climate change. At the same time there is an urgent need to address the economic and social burden of human diseases as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and obesity. Ruminants are capable of converting human inedible forages and fibrous feeds into high quality human edible foods and using land not suitable for cropping, and therefore ruminants could contribute to future global food security. While meat and milk from ruminants are a source of high quality protein and micronutrients these foods are also the main source of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and also contribute to trans fatty acids (FA) in the human diet. It is known that he substitution of SFA and trans FA for polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) lowers mortality and markers of cardiovascular disease risk, with emerging evidence of beneficial effects on insulin resistance, inflammation and immune function. Public heath nutrition guidelines recommend population-wide decreases in SFA and trans FA consumption and an increase in PUFA to lower the incidence of clinical metabolic disease. Despite the establishment of nutritional guidelines, dietary surveys that also includes The National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (2014-2016) to asses food consumption of the Portuguese population, indicate that the intakes of SFA typically exceed recommended levels, whilst the consumption of PUFA, specifically omega-3, is often below the optimal range. Altering the fat composition of meat, milk and derived products offers the opportunity to realign the consumption of FA in human populations closer to Public Health guidelines without requiring substantive changes in consumer eating habits. Thus, RUMOMICS aims create underpinning science to support future innovations for the production of nutritional enhanced meat and milk.
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