Fatty acid composition of cooked chicken meat and chicken meat products as influenced by price range at retail

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 138; no. 2-3; pp. 1749 - 1756
• Main Authors: Gibbs, Rachael A., Rymer, Caroline, Givens, D.I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Chicken meat; Chickens; Conventional; Cooking; DHA; EPA; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - chemistry; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Meat - analysis; Meat - economics; Meat and meat product industries; Meat Products - analysis; Meat Products - economics; Nuggets; Organic; Nuggets; Organic; EPA; DHA; Chicken meat; Fatty acids; Conventional; Price; Cook; Meat product; Lipids; Chemical composition
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.11.002

► Fatty acid profiles of chicken breasts, legs, burgers and nuggets were determined. ► Price range had a minor effect on fatty acid profile of breasts and legs. ► Price range had no effect on fatty acid profile of chicken burgers. ► Economy nuggets contained more fat and more MUFA than standard. ► Lower concentrations of long chain n-3 PUFA in burgers and nuggets than breast and leg.
The primary objective was to determine fatty acid composition of skinless chicken breast and leg meat portions and chicken burgers and nuggets from the economy price range, standard price range (both conventional intensive rearing) and the organic range from four leading supermarkets. Few significant differences in the SFA, MUFA and PUFA composition of breast and leg meat portions were found among price ranges, and supermarket had no effect. No significant differences in fatty acid concentrations of economy and standard chicken burgers were found, whereas economy chicken nuggets had higher C16:1, C18:1 cis, C18:1 trans and C18:3 n-3 concentrations than had standard ones. Overall, processed chicken products had much higher fat contents and SFA than had whole meat. Long chain n-3 fatty acids had considerably lower concentrations in processed products than in whole meat. Overall there was no evidence that organic chicken breast or leg meat had a more favourable fatty acid composition than had meat from conventionally reared birds.