Fatty acid composition and carcass characteristics of growing lambs fed diets containing palm oil supplements

Thirty 45-day-old male Ojalada lambs were used to investigate the effect of palm oil (as such or in the form of calcium soap) on carcass characteristics and fat composition. Dietary palm oil did not significantly affect dorsal fat thickness, carcass fatness or carcass conformation. The palm oil supplement did not affect C16:0 levels in intramuscular and subcutaneous fat, but did increase the percentage of C16:0 and reduce PUFA and MUFA content in internal fat depots. Supplementation with palm oil in the form of calcium soap did not cause significant differences in the composition of intramuscular fat. Subcutaneous and perirenal fat of lambs fed treatments including palm oil as such contained higher levels of some saturated fatty acids than that of those fed fat in the form of calcium soap. Mesenteric fat of lambs that received calcium soap had less % C18:1 and more % C18:3 than that of those given palm oil.