Fatty acid composition of goat muscles and fat depots: a review

In addition to the fat content of muscle and adipose depots, the fatty acid composition of lipids affects meat quality. Furthermore, relevant reports are difficult to use for comparisons, in that samples were collected from m uscles and fat depots at various anatomical locations and experiments entai led different objectives, designs, procedures and methodologies, Nonetheles s, based on currently available publications, according to a recent classif ication of meats by concentrations of potentially cholesterol-raising, and neutral, and cholesterol-lowering effects, average values for goat muscles appear better than for beef and lamb. Feeding dry diets seems to increase l evels of unsaturated fatty acids and stearic acid in fat depots compared wi th milk or milk replacer. Increasing concentrate consumption can increase l evels of odd-numbered and branched chain fatty acids in subcutaneous fat de pots. With increasing age of unweaned kids, the level of stearic acid in fa t depots decreases, and with increasing live weight of weaned kids levels o f saturated fatty acids increase, and contents of monounsaturated fatty aci ds decrease in most fat depots. This review of a currently limited database indicates need for further experimentation to characterize interactions am ong factors such as breed, age and nutritional conditions in the fatty acid composition of carcass lipids of goats so as to gain a fuller understandin g of goat meat quality. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.