Fatty acids profile of different locations in Iberian pig adipose tissue

This paper presents the results obtained after analysing the fatty acid profile of samples from different anatomical locations in adipose tissue of 40 Iberian pigs, such as internal and external back fat, loin and ham intramuscular fat. Pigs were slaughtered at a constant weight of 160 Kg and an average age of 480 days. The analysis of the fatty acids profile was carried out by using gas Chromatography. Results show a variation in saturation degree depending on the origin of sample, as well as in the fatty acid profile of the fatty acids that are most important in terms of quality and quantity, which make evident the great importance of taking standardised samples to achieve a proper classification of the carcasses and the different pieces of Iberian pigs in slaughterhouses, factories and even origin denominations.