FATTY ACID PROFILE OF NUTRIA MEAT AS A PROMISING MEAT RAW MATERIAL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31548/humanhealth.4.2026.52Keywords:
lipid profile, gas chromatography, polyunsaturated fatty acids, α–linolenic acid, n–6/n–3 ratio, nutritional value.Abstract
. Fatty acid composition is an important indicator of the nutritional value of meat and characterizes the specific features of its lipid fraction. The limited experimental data regarding the fatty acid profile of nutria meat necessitates further in-depth research. The objective of this study was to determine the fatty acid composition of nutria meat and establish the quantitative ratios of the main fatty acid groups.
A pooled sample of meat from 7-month-old female nutrias was analyzed. Fatty acid composition was determined via capillary gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters, in accordance with DSTU EN ISO 12966-4:2019, with three analytical replicates. Quantitative results for individual fatty acids are presented as the mean value and standard deviation (M ± SD, n = 3).
Thirty-seven fatty acids were identified in the nutria meat samples. Palmitic acid (26.943%), oleic acid (26.015%), and linoleic acid (18.642%) accounted for the largest proportions. The content of palmitoleic acid was 7.675%, α-linolenic acid was 6.897%, stearic acid was 5.935%, and myristic acid was 3.273%. The combined share of these seven components reached 95.380%, indicating their dominance in shaping the fatty acid profile. It was established that unsaturated fatty acids (61.413%) predominate over saturated ones (38.590%). Among the unsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids accounted for 35.200%, and polyunsaturated fatty acids for 26.213%. The primary components of the polyunsaturated fraction were linoleic and α-linolenic acids, with a combined content of 25.539%, representing 97.429% of the total polyunsaturated fatty acids. The share of n–6 fatty acids was 19.028%, while that of n–3 fatty acids was 6.938%. Within the latter group, α-linolenic acid was dominant, accounting for 99.409% of the total n–3 fatty acid content. The ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids was 0.679, and the n–6/n–3 ratio was 2.743. The total content of identified trans-isomers of fatty acids was 0.593%. These results indicate a predominance of the unsaturated fraction and a significant contribution of essential fatty acids to the lipid profile of the meat under study.
Specific characteristics of the fatty acid profile of a pooled sample of nutria meat were identified, marked by a predominance of unsaturated fatty acids and the dominance of linoleic and α-linolenic acids within the polyunsaturated fraction. The results obtained can be used to further research the impact of technological processing and storage on the lipid composition of nutria meat.
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