Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23K—FODDER
  • A23K50/00—Feeding-stuffs specially adapted for particular animals
  • A23K50/30—Feeding-stuffs specially adapted for particular animals for swines
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23K—FODDER
  • A23K20/00—Accessory food factors for animal feeding-stuffs
  • A23K20/10—Organic substances
  • A23K20/158—Fatty acids; Fats; Products containing oils or fats
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23K—FODDER
  • A23K50/00—Feeding-stuffs specially adapted for particular animals

Definitions

• This invention relates to a method of conditioning animals and particularly for conditioning pigs (although not exclusively) for slaughter by providing an adjusted diet adapted to enhance the polyunsaturated fatty acid characteristics in the carcass fat.
• Such conditioning may be achieved by a feeding regime adapted to modify and condition the fat of said pigs such that on slaughter the resultant carcass fat comprises a substantially modified fat content in which increased amounts of n-6 and n-3 series polyunsaturated acids are present.
• Fat firmness is routinely and accurately measured in penetrometer units on a scale 0 (unacceptably soft) to 1000 (unacceptably hard). A fat firmness reading of 575 penetrometer units at 4°C is considered the limit of acceptability to the consumer. It can be seen from Tables 1 and 2 that the tallow diet provides a carcass fat firmness of approximately 705.0 penetrometer units at 4°C which is safely above the minimum acceptable limit. However, by continuing to increase the polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as linoleic acid) well beyond that in the tallow diet i.e. exceeding 18% in the diet, and giving rise to a level of some 30%
• C18:2 linoleic acid in the carcass fat can lead to significant compromise in the softness of the fat (525.0 penetrometer units at 4°C).
• An object of the invention was therefore to provide a method of conditioning an animal for slaughter which comprised administering a feed to provide increased levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids but without the physical and organoleptic properties of the fat being compromised. In this way meat products therefrom would be highly beneficial to health of the consumer whilst being acceptable organoleptically thereto.
• a method of conditioning an animal for slaughter with a view to obtaining a meat product of enhanced nutritional value with regard to polyunsaturated fatty acid which comprises administering to the animal a feed comprising elevated levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, wherein the feed includes fatty acids of the C18, n-6 and n-3 series, and wherein said method additionally comprises administering further polyunsaturated fatty acids of the C20 and C22, n-3 series, whereby the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the meat is improved and the fat firmness of the meat is maintained in a satisfactory physical condition.
• the polyunsaturated fatty acid content exceeds 18% of total fat.
• the C20 and C22, n-3 series long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are introduced by administering extracts offish oil, preferably docosahexaenoic (DHA).
• the extracts offish oil may be introduced in the range of 0.3%-5%, by weight, of the diet.
• the amount is 1%, by weight, of the diet and more preferably the 1% comprises about 14% DHA.
• the major polyunsaturated fatty acid present is linoleic acid.
• a method of modifying the composition of animal fat obtainable in a meat product to enhance the polyunsaturated fatty acid content whilst counteracting the softening of fatty tissue normally associated with enhanced polyunsaturated fatty acid content comprising administering to an animal to be bred for its meat, polyunsaturated fatty acids comprising Cl 8, n-6 and n-3, series and C20 and C22, n-3 series acids.
• a method of adapting an animal feed for a meat-producing animal said feed providing polyunsaturated fatty acids for the animal, wherein the animal feed is adapted by including therein Cl 8, n-6 and n-3 series, and also C20 and C22, n-3, polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• a method of adapting an animal feed for a meat-producing animal said feed providing polyunsaturated fatty acids for the animal including C20 and C22, n-3, fatty acids, wherein the animal feed is adapted by including therein at least one fatty acid precursor capable of yielding a polyunsaturated fatty acid of the C18, n-6 and n-3 series, on consumption of the feed by the meat-producing animal.
• the precursor comprises linseed oil.
• a meat product containing polyunsaturated fatty acids of the C18, n-6 and n-3 series, and also C20 and C22, n-3, polyunsaturated fatty acids said product being obtainable by slaughtering an animal conditioned by a method as previously described.
• a meat product containing polyunsaturated fatty acids of the C18, n-6 and n-3 series, and also C20 and C22, n-3, polyunsaturated fatty acids said product being obtainable by slaughtering an animal fed with a feed adapted according to a method previously described.
• pig meat intended for human consumption, and containing nutritionally favourable levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids of the C18, n-6 and n-3 series, and also C20 and C22, n-3, polyunsaturated fatty acids, wherein the polyunsaturated fatty acid content exceeds 18% of total fat in said meat and fat firmness is maintained at an acceptable level.
• pig carcass fat containing enhanced levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids of the C18, n-6 and n-3 series, and also C20 and C22, n-3, polyunsaturated fatty acids, wherein the polyunsaturated fatty acid content exceeds 18% of total fat and fat firmness is maintained at an acceptable level.
• the modified animal fat provided by such a method comprises the ratio of 6:1 n- 6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• the linoleic acid is administered in an amount exceeding 18% total fat in the diet.
• the resultant pig carcass fat contains re-structured triacylglycerol species in which the major polyunsaturated fats of both the n-3 and n-6 series are seen to be positioned on the sn-1 and sn-2 position of the triacylglycerol structure.
• the presence of such polyunsaturated changes give rise to an increased fat firmness associated with the pig fat produced by the present invention.
• Graph shows a bar graph depicting the effect of diet on the condition of pigs for slaughter, and particularly in respect of the firmness of the back fat measured over the shoulder; (all measurements corrected to 4°C; each result is the mean ⁇ error);
• Table 1 shows a comparison of different feed compositions for conditioning pigs for slaughter (all penetrometer measurements at 4°C);
• Table 2 shows a comparison of the fatty acid composition and physical properties of pig carcass outer backfat having been fed a tallow diet or a diet fed according to the present invention (all penetrometer measurements at 1°C).
• a method for conditioning an animal for slaughter which comprises administering a feed including enhanced levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids particularly of the C18, n-6 and n-3 series, said method additionally comprising administering an amount of C20 and C22, n-3 series.
• Prior art documents clearly teach that increasing the linoleic acid level in for example the tallow diet leads to the effects shown by SOI and SO3 in the graph with fat firmness falling well below the acceptable level at approximately 525 and 510 penetrometer units respectively at 4°C.
• feed compositions including fish oil are shown as SOFO1 and SOFO2. It can be seen in both Table 1 and the graph that such diets provide both enhanced polyunsaturated fatty acid levels and acceptable fat firmness levels i.e. 645 and 644 penetrometer units respectively measured at 4°C.
• Table 2 compares the fatty acid composition and physical properties of pig back fat from pigs fed either a tallow diet or a diet modified according to the invention, in this case SOFO2. It is thus seen that the polyunsaturated levels are increased by a significant amount from 15.6g per lOOg total lipid to 35.8g per lOOg total lipid in the modified diet. Also it can be seen that commitment reductions in the saturated and monounsaturated fats has occurred. Also, the normally low levels of C20 and C22, n-3 long chain polyunsaturated levels can be seen to have been significantly increased. Such enhanced levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids into the back fat is accompanied by enhanced organoleptic and physical properties thereof.
• pig fat comprised 19 individual molecular triacylglycerol species, 14 of which were identified in compositional terms of palmitic, stearic (major saturates), oleic (major monoenoic), linoleic (major dienoic), alpha-linolenic (major trienoic), docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids.
• Pig fat in pigs fed a tallow diet comprised triacylglycerol molecular species containing a total of 0-4 double bonds which accounted for 78% of the total lipid whilst molecular species containing 4-6 and 6-10 double bonds accounted for 20% and 2% respectively.
• a modified diet such as SOFO1 and SOFO2 i.e. in accordance with the present invention
• molecular species containing a total of 0-4 double bonds only accounted for 57% of total lipid whilst molecular species containing 4-6 and 6-10 double bonds accounted for 38% and 7% respectively.
• the high levels of polyunsaturation in these pigs fed the modified diets was associated with enhancement and appearance of specific polyunsaturated molecular combinations for which there was evidence of changes intramolecular positional accommodation.
• Resultant pig carcass fat has been shown to contain re-structured triacylglycerol species in which the major polyunsaturated fats of both the n-3 and n-6 series are seen to be positioned on the sn-1 and sn-2 position of the triacylglycerol structure.
• the presence of such polyunsaturated changes gives rise to an increased fat firmness associated with the pig fat produced by the present invention.

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Animal Husbandry (AREA)
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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
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• Fodder In General (AREA)

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• 2001
  • 2001-10-03 GB GBGB0123827.8A patent/GB0123827D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2002
  • 2002-10-02 EP EP02800190A patent/EP1476028A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-10-02 WO PCT/GB2002/004440 patent/WO2003028474A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-10-02 CA CA002501020A patent/CA2501020A1/en not_active Abandoned

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