Variation of Ovine Fat Composition within the Carcass

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the amount of variation in the composition of fat sampled from different areas of the lamb carcass and to determine if these differences in fat constituents vary to the same degree throughout the carass. Samples of fat were collected from eight areas of 82 lamb carcasses (dock, cod, kidney, leg, loin, neck, rack, and shoulder). Iodine numbers, saponification numbers, and melting points were used to evaluate the samples from each area. Statistical analyses of the data revealed highly significant differences between areas for the three chemical analyses conducted; this was also true for differences between lambs. A test for nonadditivity showed that the lamb x area interaction had a highly significant effect on saponification number, whereas melting point and iodine number were not influenced significantly. Relationships were calculated between fat characteristics of each area to those of the other seven areas. The correlations were of such a magnitude that it appears to be feasible to predict the composition of fat from any place on the carcass by analysis of a sample from any given area. Copyright © 1963. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1963 by American Society of Animal Science