Changes in fatty acid composition of porcine fat affected by diet, sex and depot sites

The effects of diet, sex and depot site upon the fatty acid composition of porcine fat were studied in two separate experiments. In first experiment, Middle Yorkshire and second expriment, Landrace×Large White×Hampshire triple cross pigs were kept, respectively, on basal or barley supplemented diets ad libitum. Fats samples used for analysis were obtained from outer and inner layer in different subcutaneous fat depots, kidney and omental adipose tissues by rendering. Somewhat higher concentration of myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic and total C16 acid, and then, lower concentration of linoleic and total C18 acid were observed in barrows than in gilts, but these differrences in respect to sex were relatively small as compared with diet or depot site. Concentration of palmitic, palmitoleic and C16 acid in depot fat were increased, and stearic, linoleic and C18 acid were decreased in pigs fed barley supplemented diet than basal diet feeding. In both experiments, the inner layer of backfat consistently contained more saturated fatty acids than outer layer, and then, backfat contained significantly more unsaturated acids than kidney and omental fat. Although, distinct variation in fatty acid composition of subcutaneous fats were not found depending upon the location in the carcass, the fats from shoulder and ham were contained more palmitoleic and oleic acid, and less stearic and linoleic acid than the backfat, and shoulder fat had a tendency of the highest concentration of unsaturated fatty acids than others. In general, it was considered that the effects of sex or diet on the fatty acid composition of porcine depot fats appeared more clearly in backfat, especially in its outer layer than in other sites. And, it was deduced that the fat from triple crossbred pigs contained more saturated fatty acids than that from Middle Yorkshire pigs.