Influence of a diet with chestnuts and sugar beet pulp on the lipid composition of “lacón gallego” (drycured pork foreleg)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of the inclusion of chestnuts and sugar beet pulp in pigs’ diets on the lipid composition of the external and internal muscles of dry-cured pork forelegs. This inclusion did not modify the lipid content and the glycerides, phospholipids and free fatty acid proportions of the internal and external muscles of dry-cured pork forelegs; however, it caused a significant decrease in the values of oxidation index TBA. No important changes were observed in fatty acid composition of glycerides. The dry-cured pork forelegs from pigs who received a diet with chestnuts and sugar beet pulp showed higher proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids in phospholipid and free fatty acid fractions than dry-cured pork forelegs from pigs fed a conventional diet; this could be due to a decrease in the oxidation levels.

Keywords

• chestnuts
• dry-cured foreleg
• fatty acids
• lipids
• oxidation
• pig diet