EVALUATION OF CONJUGATED LINOLEIC-ACID CONCENTRATIONS IN COOKED BEEF

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) concentrations in raw steaks (ribeye, r ound, T-bone, and sirloin) ranged between 3.1 and 8.5 mg of CLA/g of f at. Freshly cooked rare (60 degrees C) or well done (80 degrees C) gro und beef patties (fried, baked, broiled, or microwaved) contained betw een 6.6 and 8.2 mg of CLA/g of fat. When CLA concentrations were compa red on a milligrams of CLA per gram of fat basis, there were no signif icant differences in CLA among either cooking methods or degrees of do neness. When CLA concentrations were compared on a milligrams per 100 g of cooked meat basis, the 80 degrees C baked patties had the highest CLA concentration (152 mg/100 g of meat), while baked patties cooked to 60 degrees C contained the greatest concentration of CLA on a per p atty basis (113 mg of CLA/patty). During storage, cooked beef oxidized rapidly as measured by thiobarbituric reactive substances. However, o xidation did not affect CLA concentrations.