Carcass fatty acid mapping

We hypothesized that subcutaneous (s.c.) adipose tissue would differ in monounsaturated (MUFA) and saturated fatty acid (SFA) composition among different depots throughout a beef carcass. To test this, 50 carcasses from a variety of breed types and backgrounds were sampled. External fat samples were collected from eight different carcass locations: round, sirloin, loin, rib, chuck, brisket, plate and flank. The brisket was significantly lower (P=0.001) in palmitic (16:0) and stearic (18:0) acid than the other seven sampling sites. The brisket contained the highest concentration of MUFA (P=0.001) and the lowest concentration of trans-vaccenic acid (P=0.002) and SFA (P⩽0.002). There was a high, negative correlation between palmitoleic and stearic acid (R(2)=0.76). The flank had the highest slip point (39°C; a measure of melting point), whereas the brisket had the lowest slip point (25°C) (P⩽0.001). We conclude that substantial differences exist in fatty acid composition across fat depots, which may be useful in formulating value-added processed beef products.