Influence of Breed, Sex and Anatomical Location on Lipid and Fatty Acid Composition of Bovine Intermuscular Fat

Abstract

Thirty-one animals including Japanese Black (9 steers), Holstein (8 steers examine the effects of breed, sex and anatomical location on the lipid and fatty acid composition of intermuscular fat in the carcasses at a constant slaughter weight, Intermuscular fat samples were taken from the shoulder, loin, rump, brisket and flank regions of each carcass, respectively. Total lipid content was significantly affected by breed and location. Japanese Black had a greater total lipid content than other breeds. Of locations, the flank was greatest in the total lipid content and the brisket was least. As to the lipid composition, the percentage of TG was significantly affected by sex and location, and that of PL. was affected by location. Heifers had a higher percentage of TG than steers. The flank intermuscular fat had the highest percentage of TG and the lowest percentage of PL. The fatty acid compositions of TG, FFA and PL classes were significantly affected by breed, sex and/or location, although some exceptions were observed. In addition, the differences recognized in the fatty acid composition were fairly common to these classes. The principal features were as follows: (1) Japanese Black were higher in the percentages of C 18:1 and TUSF, and C 18/C 16 ratio than Holstein, and the reverse was true for the saturated fatty acids, such as C 14:0, C 16:0 and C 18:0 acids. F1 animals had intermediate values between two breeds for these fatty acids; (2) steers were higher in the percentages of the saturated fatty acids in TG and PL classes than heifers; (3) the flank intermuscular fat contained more saturated fatty acids than other locations. These results suggest that in intermuscular fat, the fatty acid composition of each lipid class varied with the factors considered in present study, and the breed effect was most remarkable. In addition, the differences in the fatty acid composition among breeds or between sexes showed a similar tendency to those of subcutaneous fat.

Genetic parameters for fatty acid composition and feed efficiency traits in Japanese Black cattle

“…These studies have confirmed that the fat of heifers tends to be more unsaturated than the fat of steers (Yoshimura and Namikawa, 1985;Zembayashi et al, 1995) and aging increases MUFA (Huerta-Leidenz et al, 1996). Furthermore, effects of breed differences are also reported; purebred Wagyu cattle or the other breeds derived from Wagyu generally tend to have higher proportions of unsaturated fatty acids than other breeds (Yoshimura and Namikawa, 1985;May et al, 1993). Inoue et al (2008) used field data from heifers and steers with an average slaughter age of 31.6 months.…”

“…Fatty acid composition is influenced by sex (Yoshimura and Namikawa, 1985;Zembayashi et al, 1995), diet (Melton et al, 1982;Mandell et al, 1998) and age (Huerta-Leidenz et al, 1996). Genetic influences, such as breed (Yoshimura and Namikawa, 1985;May et al, 1993) and sire (Xie et al, 1996), have also been reported, including sire-based differentiation in Japanese Black cattle (Oka et al, 2002).…”

“…Genetic influences, such as breed (Yoshimura and Namikawa, 1985;May et al, 1993) and sire (Xie et al, 1996), have also been reported, including sire-based differentiation in Japanese Black cattle (Oka et al, 2002). However, to genetically improve MP and fatty acid composition, -E-mail: k1inoue@nlbc.go.jp it is necessary to confirm the relationship between these traits and BMS by estimating genetic parameters.…”

Genetic relationships between meat quality traits and fatty acid composition in Japanese black cattle

“…They also determined the contents of C18:1 as 53.6% and MUFA as 57.8%, smaller values than in the present study (C18:1, 54.4%; MUFA, 63.7%). It is known that the degree of unsaturation is higher in heifers than in steers (Yoshimura & Namikawa ; Zembayashi et al ; Inoue et al , ) and increases with aging (Ishida et al ; Inoue et al ). The higher percentages of C18:1 and MUFA found in our study could be due to the high proportion of heifers in the data analyzed.…”

Molecular Species Compositions of Intramuscular Triacylglycerols of Beef

“…The quantity and composition of lipid in depot fat of meat are regarded as important factors influencing meat and carcass quality2, 3,8,10,12,13) The characteristics of triacylglycerol, being the major component of intramuscular fat of beef, affect the flavor of beef9). Determinations of fatty acid compositions2,4-7), carbon number distributions5-7) and stereospecific position of acyl groups4,5) of triacylglycerol from fat had been carried out for the analysis of chemical characteristics of triacylglycerol, while there were few reports on the molecular species compositions of triacylglycerols isolated from muscle of Japanese beef cattle.…”