Intramuscular Fatty Acid Composition of the Longissimus Muscle of Unweaned Minhota Breed Calves at Different Slaughter Age

Meat productions from sixteen local Portuguese cattle breeds represent high economic and cultural value for local populations. Among these, Minhota is one of the most important on meat aptitude located on the northwest of the country. This breed is used for high-quality meat. This study describes the influence of slaughter age, corresponding veal (6 months) and beef (9 months) and sex, reared in a traditional production system, on intramuscular fatty acid composition of the longissimus muscle and nutritional quality. Samples of the longissimusthoracis (LT) muscle were analysed for fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat from 41 Minhota breed animals. Unweaned veal (22) and beef (19), corresponding to males (n=25) and females (n=16) were analysed. Both groups of animals were reared in a traditional production system. The meat from the Minhota breed is a valuable source of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), particularly the C-20 and C-22 n-3 fatty acids in the human diet. A low n-6:n-3 ratio show that fat in this breed has a good nutritional value. The differences in fat composition from veal and beef could be attributed to the fact that maternal suckling is more important in the youngest animals.