| The aim of the study was to compare the skeletal muscles (longissimus lumborum – LL vs. semitendinosus
– ST) of Polish Holstein-Friesian bulls in terms of their chemical composition, fatty acid proportions and the
degree to which they meet standards for selected nutrients. The proximate composition, that is, the content of
water, ash, crude protein, fat and collagen, was determined in the muscle samples collected. The calorific value of
100 g of meat was calculated based on the total protein content and intramuscular fat, using energy equivalents:
4 kcal for protein and 9 kcal for fat. The fatty acid profile (FA) was determined by gas chromatography
(GC-FID), and the following groups were distinguished: saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty
acids in the cis (MUFA cis) and the trans configuration (MUFA trans), as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA). On the basis of the content of individual fatty acids, the ratio of PUFA/SFA and n-6/n-3 was calculated.
In addition, the following indices were calculated: atherogenic index (AI), thrombogenic index (TI), saturation
index (S/P), as well as nutritional value (NV) and the ratio of hypo- and hypercholesterolaemic fatty acids
(h/H). The results obtained for fatty acids were expressed as 1) percentage of individual fatty acids in total
FAs quantified and 2) as quantity (in mg) per 100 g of fresh meat. Statistical calculations were performed
using Statistica software ver. 13. Differences between the muscles were verified with the t-test for independent
samples, assuming significance levels of p ≤ 0.05 and p ≤ 0.01. The muscle type was found to significantly
influence the fatty acid (FA) profile for four of the 24 FAs identified. Compared to ST, the LL muscle had
a significantly higher share of C18:0 (18.95% vs. 16.55%; p ≤ 0.01) and CLA (0.38% vs. 0.29%; p ≤ 0.05) and
significantly lower percentages of C16:1 c9 (3.17% vs. 3.74%; p ≤ 0.05) and C18:1 c9 (36.02% vs. 38.65%;
p ≤ 0.05). With regard to particular groups of fatty acids, the LL muscle had significantly higher percentages
of SFA (53.20% vs. 50.71%, p ≤ 0.05), PUFA (4.20% vs. 3.49%, p ≤ 0.05) and n-6 (2.69% vs. 2.10%, p ≤ 0.01)
and a significantly lower percentage of cis MUFA (40.73% vs. 43.96%; p ≤ 0.01). The average amount of fat in
100 g of muscle tissue was 693.30 mg for SFA, 560.81 mg for MUFA cis, 54.74 mg for PUFA (including 33.87 mg
of n-6 and 16.23 mg of n-3) and 24.63 mg for MUFA trans. The beef can be classified as a secondary source of
fatty acids. The coverage of the recommended intake ranged from 2.5% to 3.8% for SFA, from 1.1% to 1.9%
for MUFA, from 0.29% to 1.8% for n-3 acids, and was smaller than 1% for PUFA and n-6. The amount of
EPA and DHA satisfied from 0.66% to 1.3% of the minimum daily requirement, while the amount of trans FA
ranged from 0.9% to 1.4% of the maximum daily level. It is worth noting that 100 g of the beef provided on
average 102.53 kcal, 1.46 g of fat and 22.34 g of protein, which cover, respectively, 5.1% of the daily calorie
requirement, 1.9-3.3% of the fat requirement, and as much as 30-45% of the protein requirement for adults.
Although the ST muscle, because of its 40% lower fat content and 2% lower protein content, was less caloric
than the LL muscle, it also contained fewer biologically active FAs, including CLA, VA, ALA, LA, AA, EPA
and DPA. Irrespective of the differences shown, the meat can be classified as a low-calorie and high-protein
product, as 87% of its energy value came from protein. |