Effect of muscle type and animal category on fatty acid composition of bresaola made from meat of Cinisara cattle: preliminary investigation

The bresaola could represent an alternative commercial opportunity for autochthonous dairy cattle farms. Therefore, a study was carried out to investigate the fatty acid (FA) composition of bresaola made using Semimembranosus (SMm), Semitendinosus (STm), and Biceps brachii (BBm) muscles from grazing young bulls (GB), housed young bulls (HB) or grazing adult cows (AC) of Cinisara breed. Animal category, fat content, feeding system, and type of muscle influenced the FA composition of bresaola. Fatter products, made from AC and HB meat, or with STm and BBm muscles showed lower polyunsaturated/saturated FA ratio. The bresaola from young bulls fed pasture-based diet showed an increased polyunsaturated FA content, a reduction of n-6/n-3 ratio, and improved health indexes. However, the rumenic acid, isomer of conjugated linoleic acid, did not show differences related to the use of pasture. Bresaola made from lean meat cuts of grazing animals seems to show the best health-related FA profile.