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Meat science2010; 86(3); 825-831; doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2010.07.004

Intramuscular fatty acid composition of “Galician Mountain” foals breed. Effect of sex, slaughtered age and livestock production system.

Abstract: The effects of sex, slaughtered age (9 vs. 12 months) and livestock production system (freedom extensive system vs. semi extensive system) of "Galician Mountain" foals breed on the fatty acid composition were studied. The sex and slaughtered age of the animals had no statistical significance in the intramuscular fatty acids. Furthermore, the livestock production system showed differences in the fatty acid profiles from the Longissimus dorsi. The feeding system showed significant differences in PUFA content (P<0.001) higher in freedom extensive production system that semi extensive system, whereas MUFA content was significantly (P<0.001) higher in semi extensive system. This major PUFA content in freedom extensive production showed a significant (r=0.70, P<0.01) correlation with C18:3n-3 content and can be attributed to their eaten only pasture until slaughtered. The higher MUFA contents (P<0.001) observed for semi extensive production system foals were very significant (r=0.98, p<0.01) correlated with C18:1cis-9 content and less significant (r=0.81, P<0.01) correlated with C16:1cis-9 content. In addition, the data reinforced the evidence that foals from extensive production system on wood pasture have a higher nutritional quality (mainly due to the higher levels of n-3 PUFA) when compared to concentrate-fed foals, as a result of the beneficial effects of grass on meat fatty acid profiles.
Copyright © 2010 The American Meat Science Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2010-07-15 PubMed ID: 20675062DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2010.07.004Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research examines the influence of sex, slaughtered age, and livestock production methods on the fatty acid composition of “Galician Mountain” foals breed. The results show that sex and age at slaughter do not significantly affect fatty acid composition. However, the method of livestock production does significantly impact the fatty acid profiles.

Examining the Effect of Variables on Fatty Acid Composition

  • The study involves investigating the impact of several factors including the sex of the foal, age of slaughter, and the livestock production system. The two livestock production systems analyzed are the freedom extensive system where foals can graze freely and the semi-extensive system where the freedom of the foals might be somewhat restricted.
  • The investigation discovered that neither the sex of the animal nor its age at the time of slaughter significantly affects the fatty acid composition. This conclusion portrays that these specific characteristics of the animal do not significantly influence the nutritional quality of the meat.

Impact of Livestock Production System

  • The research unveiled noteworthy differences after comparing the fatty acid profiles of foals reared under both livestock production methods.
  • The freedom extensive production system revealed a higher Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) content while the semi-extensive system exhibited a higher Monounsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA) content. The difference in feed content, specifically grass or concentrate feed, is likely to contribute to these results.
  • These findings possibly demonstrate the nutritional changes caused by different feeding methods in different livestock rearing systems. For instance, the higher PUFA content is linked to the foals feeding solely on pasture in the freedom extensive production system. This directly correlates with the content of C18:3n-3, a specific type of fatty acid.
  • Conversely, the higher MUFA content in the semi-extensive system foals was strongly linked to the C18:1cis-9 and less significantly to the C16:1cis-9 content.

Implications for Nutritional Quality

  • From a nutritional point of view, the study underlines that meat from foals reared under the freedom extensive system on wood pasture has a higher nutritional quality. This is largely attributable to the elevated levels of n-3 PUFA, a fatty acid known to have several health benefits.
  • This improvement in nutritional quality is traced back to the beneficial effects of grass feeding on the meat fatty acid profiles. Grass, being a natural feed, is likely to enhance the nutritional composition of the foal’s meat as compared to concentrate-fed foals.

Cite This Article

APA
Lorenzo JM, Fuciños C, Purriños L, Franco D. (2010). Intramuscular fatty acid composition of “Galician Mountain” foals breed. Effect of sex, slaughtered age and livestock production system. Meat Sci, 86(3), 825-831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2010.07.004

Publication

Meat science
ISSN: 1873-4138
NlmUniqueID: 101160862
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 86
Issue: 3
Pages: 825-831

Researcher Affiliations

Lorenzo, José M
  • Centro Tecnológico de la Carne de Galicia, Rúa Galicia N° 4, Parque Tecnológico de Galicia, San Cibrán das Viñas, 32900 Ourense, Spain. jmlorenzo@ceteca.net
Fuciños, Clara
    Purriños, Laura
      Franco, Daniel

        MeSH Terms

        • Adipose Tissue / chemistry
        • Age Factors
        • Animal Feed
        • Animal Husbandry / methods
        • Animals
        • Breeding
        • Diet
        • Fatty Acids / analysis
        • Horses
        • Meat / analysis
        • Muscle, Skeletal / chemistry
        • Poaceae
        • Sex Characteristics

        Citations

        This article has been cited 17 times.
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