CONCENTRATIONS OF FATTY-ACIDS AND CHOLEST EROL IN INTRAMUSCULAR FAT OF SLAUGHTER BULLS OF DIFFERENT GENOTYPES

Fat quality in slaughter animals and particularly the concentrations o f fatty acids and cholesterol content are important with respect to di etary attitudes. Fat quality can be influenced by several factors to a larger or smaller extent. These indicators were determined in a trial on three breeds of slaughter bulls (Slovak Pied, Slovak Pinzgau and B lack-pied Lowland) at average pre-slaughter weight of 501 to 545 kg; t he indicators were determined in intramuscular fat of the m. longissim us dorsi at the level of the 9th and 10th rib: fatty acid spectrum, ch olesterol content, as well as the ratio of the contents of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids (Sigma MK(1,2,3)/Sigma MK(0)) and the index of fat nutritive value (It), which describes the ratio of essential fa tty acids (linoleic and linolenic acid) to saturated fatty acids (Sigm a MK(2,3)/Sigma MK(0)) Fatty acids of extracted fat were transformed i nto methyl esters by alkaline transmethylation according to the modifi ed methodology after Bannon et al. (1982). Percentage content of fatty acids was determined by gas chromatography on a PACKARD apparatus, mo del 419. Total cholesterol content was determined by the method elabor ated by Hornakova et al. (1974). Tab. I shows the concentrations of 14 fatty acids with the chain C-12:0-C-22:1, which were found in all bre eds, while the concentration of oleic acid was highest of all (40.44-4 1.49%). There were no significant differences between the breeds besid es three, less important fatty acids with minimum concentrations. As f or the calculated indexes (Tab. II), the values of fat unsaturation in dex (II) ranged from 1.02 to 1.06 and those of fat nutritive value ind ex (I-2) ranged from 0.07 to 0.08. The determined average cholesterol content 65.34 to 71.11 mg/100 g is in agreement with the values report ed by other authors (Streicher et al., 1984). Average content of satur ated fatty acids ranged from 48.60 to 50.28% and that of unsaturated f atty acids from 49.42 to 51.42%.