Meat quality characteristics of springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis). 3: Fatty acid composition as influenced by age, gender and production region

The effects of age, gender and production region on the fatty acid composition of springbok Musculus longissimus dorsi (LD) were investigated. The major fatty acid of the LD muscle was stearic acid (C18:0), which contributed 23.92–27.02%. Oleic acid (C18:1) represented the largest component (16.33–20.45%) of the mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). The major n − 6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was C18:2n − 6, which formed 18.77–21.62%, whereas C18:3n − 3 (3.33–4.00%) was the most abundant n − 3 PUFA. The n − 6:n − 3 ratio of the meat varied from 3.02 to 3.35, with an average ratio of 3.2. Polyunsaturated to saturated (P:S) ratios varied between 0.96 and 1.18 and averaged at 1.06. Total MUFA was found to be higher (P < 0.05) in males (20.99%) than females (16.67%). The cholesterol content of the meat varied from 54.45 to 59.34 mg/100 g muscle. Linear correlations between the fatty acid and the intramuscular fat (IMF) content indicated a significant increase in certain saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids with increasing IMF content of the meat.