Lipid contents and compositions were measured in 35 pigs from seven genotype-sex groups with large variations in body composition.
The animals were slaughtered at 115 kg live weight, and the left side was separated into four primal cuts: belly, ham, loin, and shoulder.
Samples of adipose tissues were taken from flare fat and from subcutaneous and intermuscular adipose tissues in each of the four cuts. In
the loin, the outer and inner layers of subcutaneous adipose tissue were sampled separately. Total lipid content was lower in intermuscular
than in subcutaneous adipose tissue. It was the highest in flare fat.
There was a gradient of decreasing unsaturation from the outer layer of subcutaneous adipose tissue, to the inner layer, to intermuscular
adipose tissue, to flare fat. The monounsaturated fatty acid concentrations followed the same pattern. There was a statistically
positive correlation between the linoleic acid concentration of the different adipose tissues and the half carcass muscle content.
2006 Published by Elsevier Ltd.