<b>Fatty acid profile of humpback muscle (<i>Rhomboideus</i> m.) from zebu breed (Nellore cattle)</b> - doi: 10.4025/actascitechnol.v34i4.16614

Abstract

The objective of this paper was to characterize the lipidic profile of the Rhomboideus muscle (humpback) present in the Nelore breed, and compare it to the Longissimis dorsi muscle (tenderloin). Male animals with 24 months of age, raised in pasture were slaughtered in a regional slaughterhouse and the Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Rhomboideus (RH) muscles were excised from the remaining of the carcass and analyzed after 24 hours refrigeration. Moisture, protein and total lipids were quantified and the fatty acid profile was analyzed. The results obtained show significant differences (p < 0.05) in the characterization between the muscles analyzed in relation to their composition. Most of the fatty acids detected were monounsaturated (MUFA), with the oleic acid (C18:1n-9) being the fatty acid with the largest amount present, with the value of 48.11% for the RH muscle and 45.58% for LD. For saturated fatty acids (SFA), palmitic acid (C16:0) were quantified in largest quantity with 25.67 and 25.19% content for RH and LD muscles, respectively. Regarding saturation, RH muscle has greater quantity of MUFA, 56.46%, but lower PUFA/SFA ratio, with 0.081.

Keywords

• lipids
• Nellore cattle
• meat quality