Lypolitic Pattern of Meat from Autochthonous Lamb Reared in Continental Southern Italy.

The effect of genotype and muscle on lypolitic pattern of meat were evaluated in 50 lambs of Altamurana, Bagnolese, Laticauda, Leccese, and Gentile di Puglia breeds. Lambs investigated were all males and slaughtered at 50 days of age. Fatty acid profile was measured on two different muscles (Longissimus dorsi, LD, and Semimembranosus, SM). Lipids were extracted according to the method described by Bligh and Dyer (1959) and then methylated according to ISO-IDF (2002). Gas-chromatographic analysis was performed with a HP88 capillary column (length 100 m, internal diameter 0.25 μm, film thickness 0.25 μm); fatty acids were expressed as percent of total methylated fatty acids. Muscle effect was not significant, while genotype effect revealed significant differences in meat fatty acid profile. Meat from Laticauda and Gentile di Puglia showed higher content in saturated fatty acids (SFA) and Laticauda, Gentile di Puglia, and Leccese had higher levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) than the other breeds. Apart from breed SFA and PUFA were lower and higher, respectively, than previous findings on lambs slaughtered at the same age. Content of ω3 and ω6 fatty acids was the highest in meat from Altamurana and Gentile di Puglia lambs, respectively. PUFA/SFA was higher than 0.3 in all breeds, indicating a good nutritional value of the meat. CLA content also evidenced significant differences among breeds. Atherogenic Index and Thrombogenic Index found in this study were lower than those reported in other studies involving Merino lamb. Overall, the study of lipolytic pattern of meat from autochthonous lamb reared in continental Southern Italy evidenced that lamb meat exhibits appreciable nutritional value.