Improvement of fatty acid profiles in kid meat from Murciano-Granadina goats under semi-arid environment

Abstract

The present paper shows the results of a comparison of the fatty acid profile of kid meat obtained from extensive management system under semi-arid conditions and conventional systems. Meat samples from 61 Murciano-Granadina goat kids reared in extensive management system (9 females, 12 males) under semi-arid conditions and two variants of conventional managing systems, intensive with natural rearing (9 females, 11 males) and intensive with artificial rearing (10 females, 10 males), were used in the present study. Kids reared under the extensive management system showed (P < 0.05) that their intramuscular fat depots had the lowest percentage of myristic acid (12.31%) and the highest percentage of oleic acid (36.66%). A strong influence of physical activity during grazing in pasture modulated the fatty acid profile in muscle of kids reared under the extensive management system. Kids from this management system show a trend to produce healthier meat relative to intensive with natural and with artificial rearing management systems, as reflected by the fact that the lowest atherogenicity index was measured in intramuscular fat from kids reared under extensive management system.

Keywords:

• extensive system
• atherogenicity index
• grazing

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Diputación de Granada, Murciano-Granadina National Breeders Association and Andalusian Co-operative Society Los Filabres for their financial support for this study.