Effect of dietary energy content on the intramuscular fat depots and triglyceride composition of river buffalo meat

The production of river buffalo meat in Italy has long been under discussion due to poor acceptance by consumers. In order to understand whether dietary energy content may affect the organoleptic characteristics of buffalo meat, two groups of river buffalo calves were fed on two diets, with high (H) and low (L) energy contents. The animals were slaughtered at 4-monthly intervals starting from 6 months old (10, 14 and 18 months) and five muscles were dissected on the half-carcass: Caput longum tricipitis brachii (CloTB), Gluteobiceps (Gb), Semitendinosus (St), Semimembranosus (Sm) and Longissimus dorsi (LD). The results showed that from 6 to 10 months of age the meat lipid content decreases and protein content increases for both diets. The lipid content increases slowly with both diets from 10 to 14 months. In the last experimental period (from 14 to 18 months) an increase in the percentage of lipids with diet H and a decrease with diet L was observed. At all slaughtering ages the meat from the animals fed on diet H had a higher energy content. The different energy content of the two diets did not significantly influence the composition of triglycerides only formed by SFA and triglycerides with a higher degree of unsaturation. The triglycerides with an unsaturated fatty acid in position sn 2 did not show the same behaviour in relation to age and diet. The energy content of the feed did influence the unsaturated fatty acid composition: MUFA increased with an increased energy level of the diet, while PUFA increased with a reduction in the energy level of the diet. The muscle LD showed a significantly higher (P < 0.05) content of SFA and lower (P < 0.05) of MUFA and PUFA than the other muscles. On the basis of our results, the better TAG's composition is found in the meat of animals fed on diet H and slaughtered at 4 months of age.