Olive Paste

Beef cattle

Growth maintained and a better meat fatty acid profile in finishing bulls

In two trials of 45 Limousin bulls, dried olive cake at 7.5–15% of dry matter increased body weight, daily gain and intramuscular fat, and gave a more favourable fatty acid profile in the meat.

What the research shows

  • Higher body weight and daily gain45 Limousin bulls, 7.5% and 15%, 150 days (Chiofalo et al. 2020)
  • Higher intramuscular fat; lower cooking loss and shear force at 15%Chiofalo et al. 2020
  • More oleic, stearic and polyunsaturated fatty acids (including ALA, EPA and DPA)45 Limousin young bulls, 10% and 15%, 250 days (Oteri et al. 2026)
  • Lower atherogenic and thrombogenic indices of the meatOteri et al. 2026

Recommended inclusion

Weaning to 300 kg
0–5%
Growing (300–450 kg)
5–8%
Early finishing (450–600 kg)
8–10%
Standard finishing (600–750 kg)
10%
Premium finishing
12–15%
Breeding bulls
5–8%
0%15%

Solid bar: tested in a published trial. Hatched bar: practical programme.

Rates are for conventional finishing cattle. Wagyu-type cattle are covered on their own page.

In practice

  • Ask for the certificate of analysis for each lot and formulate with its values.
  • Introduce gradually over 7–14 days.
  • Store dry, covered and cool; use the oldest stock first.
  • Compare with a group on your usual diet to document your own results.

References

  1. Chiofalo V. et al. (2020). Effect of dietary olive cake supplementation on performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of beef cattle. Animals 10(7):1176. www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/7/1176
  2. Oteri M. et al. (2026). Inclusion of polyphenol-rich olive cake in beef cattle diets: effects on meat quality and nutritional traits. Animals 16:729. iris.unime.it/handle/11570/3349990