Fat tissue and fatty acid composition in lamb meat

Abstract

Meat is a food of high nutritional content which can make a valuable contribution in a human diet. Among other nutrients, meat is the main source of fats in the human diet and its presence in the daily meal of consumers in the developed countries is high. Consumers have become increasingly aware of the role of fat and fatty acids in their health status. Consequently, at the time of purchase of certain types of meats their requests are subjected to the frequent changes and growing demands. From this point of view it must be considered that fat and fatty acid composition of lamb meat could be highly influenced by the breed, age/weight of the animal, gender, diet, production system, and anatomical position of the muscles. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to describe the factors that may affect the fat tissue and fatty acid composition in lamb meat and their relation to the human health status.

Keywords

• fat
• fatty acids
• lambs