Fatty acid composition of bovine lipids as influenced by sex and management

Abstract

"It is the objective of the meat industry to supply the consumer with high quality and affordable products. Achieving this goal involves efficient production of meat as well as proper handling during processing. Consumer acceptance of meat and meat products revolves largely around flavor, and the various chemical constituents in meat which comprise flavor have been the subject of much study. Meat flavor components have been identified by researchers as primarily volatile carbonyl compounds (Hornstein and Crowe, 1963; Liebich et al., 1972), and there is general agreement among investigators that flavor components originate in both fatty and lean tissues. Studies have revealed that an important contributor to meat flavor may be a Maillard-type reaction occurring between carbohydrates and the amino acids of proteins (Hornstein and Crowe, 1964). More limited work has been done on the influence of lipid fatty acids on meat flavor. The majority of the fatty acids in meat lipids are nonvolatile having carbon lengths of approximately fourteen to twenty units. In experiments relating lipids with flavor, significant relationships have been observed between the fatty acid compositions of uncooked beef muscle lipids and sensory panel scores (Dryden and Marchello, 1970). The main thrust of previous research has been directed toward identifying flavor components in cooked meats, however it appears that further study of lipid fatty acids in uncooked meats is needed. Identified contributors to flavor such as carbonyl compounds, free fatty acids and carbohydrates are frequently the result of the breakdown of hydroperoxides formed upon oxidation of lipids during cooking (Sato and Herring, 1973). Thus, while it is of interest to know what compounds yield characteristic odors and flavors in cooked meats, it is equally important to identify the precursors of these flavor components in uncooked meats. Such information could have industrial application, for example, in the production of imitation convenience foods. Meat and meat products are accepted by consumers on the basis of cost as well as taste. The practice of finishing cattle on grass, though threatened by an increasing population which limits available pastures, offers a means by which meat prices may be reduced. The cost of grain in the future may make grain-finishing prohibitive. It is evident that a means of finishing beef cattle at low cost without sacrificing quality demanded by consumers would be desirable. The objectives of this study were: 1. To determine the effects of different combinations of grass and grain feeding on the fatty acid composition of intramuscular and subcutaneous fats in beef cattle. 2. To observe variations in the fatty acids of animals from the different feeding groups and determine relationships between fatty acid composition and sensory panel scores."--Introduction.