Comparison of the lipid properties of captive, healthy wild, and pansteatitis-affected wild Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus).
The results presented describe and compare the fatty acid composition and melting properties of captive, healthy wild, and pansteatitis-affected wild crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus). Differences in fatty acid composition between intramuscular and adipose fat is noted in captive crocodiles, and the latter differs from wild crocodiles as a result of different diets. Adipose fat of healthy wild crocodiles differs minimally from diseased ones, respectively with 37.3+/-2.6% vs. 43.2+/-2.3% monounsaturated fatty acids, and 43.2+/-2.9% in dead crocodiles, while polyunsaturated fatty acids decrease from 27.3+/-1.9% to as low as 21.9+/-3.6% respectively. Of the unsaturated fatty acids 18:2n-6 decreased from 6.5+/-2.6% in unaffected crocodiles to 3.5+/-0.6% in highly affected and 3.2+/-0.4% in dead crocodiles, and 22:5n-3 from 2.8+/-0.6% to 1.8+/-0.3% and 2.2+/-0.3% respectively. The melting properties as determined by differential scanning calorimetry show that extracted adipose fat is a small degree softer in pansteatitis-affected tissue, specifically in the temperature range 7-36 degrees C, and does not contribute to the hard texture noted for adipose fat tissue of pansteatitis-affected animals. A high moisture content of 51.0+/-19.7% of the fat tissue of pansteatitis-affected animals vs.17.1+/-8.0% of healthy ones, suggests that physiological changes due to interstitial inflammation may contribute to the hard texture.
Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, University of Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. osthoffg.sci@ufs.ac.za
Gernot
G
Osthoff
Arno
A
Hugo
Henk
H
Bouwman
Peter
P
Buss
Danny
D
Govender
Chris C
CC
Joubert
Jannie C
JC
Swarts
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000489:Alligators and Crocodiles / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D006262:Health; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013231:Steatitis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
D008055:Lipids