Fatty Acid Content in the Adipose Tissue of Lambs from Hair and Wool Meat Breeds

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the fatty acid content of intermuscular adipose tissue (IAT) and perirenal adipose tissue (PAT) of hair lambs and their crosses with wool breeds. Design/methodology/approach: Forty-two male lambs were used: 10 Blackbelly (BB), 6 Pelibuey (PB), 6 Katahdin (KT) × BB (KTBB), 10 Charollais (CH) × BB or PB (CHBP) and 10 Suffolk (SF) × BB or PB (SFBP). A linear fixed effects model was used and the following orthogonal contrasts were performed: C1) BB+PB vs KTBB; C2) BB+PB vs CHBP+SFBP; C3) BB vs PB; C4) CHBP vs SFBP. Results: The BB and PB lambs recorded the highest values of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and CHBP and SFBP of monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids in the IAT and PAT (P < 0.05). Higher proportions of myristic and palmitic acid were found in the IAT and PAT of hair lambs (P < 0.05). The wool breeds (CHBP + SFBP) had higher palmitoleic and oleic acid in the IAT and PAT and linoleic in the IAT (P < 0.05). Limitations on study/implications: There is a belief that lamb meat is fatty and it is sought to have a higher content of healthy fats for the benefit of consumers. Findings/conclusions: The hair lambs were higher in saturated fatty acids and the wool lambs were higher in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is important for the quality and nutritional value of lamb meat.