The effects of breed and feeding regime on the chemical composition of pig back fat as a potential raw material for biodiesel production

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of the back fat tissue of mangalitsa pig and meaty pig breeds and their crosses, and the pigs that were fed with feed that was enriched or unenriched with oil, from the aspect of the production of biodiesel, where the starting material for the fuel would be the fat tissue of pigs. By examining the impact of breed and oil content in feed, it was found that chemical parameters (fat, water, protein, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids) show statistically significant variation under the influence of these factors. The highest fat content (89.39%), which is essential for conversion of fat into biodiesel, was found in back adipose tissue of mangalitsa breed, while the lowest fat content (86.10%) was found in the back fat tissue of meaty breeds and their crosses. Favorable ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids (37.92% : 62.07%), on which some physical properties of the fuel depend, was found in the back fat tissue of pigs that were fed with feed enriched with oil, and the largest proportion of saturated fatty acids, i.e. the most unfavorable fatty acid composition (40.90% : 59.09%) was found in the back fat tissues of pigs that were fed with feed unenriched with oil. The lowest content of saturated fatty acids and water (7.44%), as the key factors that determine the cetane number of the fuel and the fuel production process, indicates that the most suitable raw material for the production of biodiesel is the fat tissue of pigs that were fed with food that contained a certain amount of oil.

Keywords

• biodiesel
• pork fat tissue
• fatty acids