Fatty acid profile of the backfat layers in four pig breeds

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe and compare the fatty acid profile of the backfat layers in four pig breeds – Landrace, Pietrain, Duroc and Large White. Six gilts per breed were used for the analysis. While differences between the examined breeds were limited to the content of C18:1n-9 and the total level of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), which were highest in the inner backfat layer of Duroc pigs, the two layers differed substantially. Generally, the inner backfat layer was more saturated when compared to the outer layer. On the other hand, the content of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was higher in the outer layer. The differences in the fatty acid profile between the two backfat layers were most visible in the Landrace pigs. The latter showed significantly higher content of C18:0 (P<0.001), which was also found in Duroc (P<0.05), as well as total saturated fatty acids (SFA) (P<0.01) in the inner layer. Furthermore, higher levels of C18:2n-6 (P<0.05), C18:3n-3 (P<0.01) and the total amount of PUFA (P<0.05) were found in the outer backfat layer in the animals of the Landrace breed.