title: Raw bovine meat fatty acids profile as an origin discriminator.
abstract: Consumers are very concerned in "Protected Designation of Origin" (PDO) products, namely meat, since they associate these products to quality and healthy foods. Thus, it is necessary to implement analytical methodologies that could assure consumers about the products they purchase. Since this kind of meat is usually sold with no information concerning cattle sex, age and slaughter season, these characteristics were intentionally not taken into account. In this study, two Portugueses PDO bovine breeds (Mirandesa and Barrosã) and two production sub-systems (traditional and organic farming) were studied during a two-year period. Statistical analysis showed that production system and breed had a significant effect on the overall raw meat fatty acids (FA) content. Besides, the FA profiles could be used as an effective tool to differentiate the four groups studied allowing a 100% correct classification. The meat FA content was also correlated with the relative importance of the animal feeding stuff area.
authors.affiliation: CIMO - Mountain Research Centre, Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: CIMO - Mountain Research Centre, Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.affiliation: CIMO - Mountain Research Centre, Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sá-Morais
authors.affiliation: CIMO - Mountain Research Centre, Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: CIMO - Mountain Research Centre, Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.affiliation: CIMO - Mountain Research Centre, Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança; LSRE - Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering, Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Quinta de Santa Apolónia, Apartado 1172, 5301-855 Bragança, Portugal. Electronic address: peres@ipb.pt.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Peres
keywords: Bovine breed; Fatty acids; Linear discriminant analysis; Meat differentiation; Production systems