Influence of Total Lipid and Fatty Acid Composition upon the Palatability of Three Bovine Muscles

Abstract

The fatty acid composition and variation in lipid content of certain muscles of the beef animal have been studied. However, there is limited and conflicting information in the literature which relates lipid content and more specifically fatty acid composition to muscle palatability. Studies by Younathan and Watts (1960) and Hornstein, Crowe and Heimberg (1961) have suggested a detrimental effect of phospholipids on muscle flavor while indicating that the triglyceride fraction may enhance flavor. Waldman et al. (1965) reported significant positive correlations between panel juiciness scores and myristic and palmitic fatty acid levels. However, in a study by Terrell et al. (1968) where the fatty acid composition was determined in both the phospholipid and neutral lipid fractions and related to sensory panel tenderness and juiciness, no significant correlations were observed. Furthermore, experiments by Wasserman and Talley (1967) suggest that beef fat has little or no effect on the development of characteristic beef aroma. Copyright © 1970. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1970 by American Society of Animal Science