Cholesterol and phospholipid levels in goat meat as affected by dietary calcium

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the contents of cholesterol and phospholipid in the meat from goats fed on calcium supplemented diets. Nine castrated male undefined breed goats with 17 to 23 months of age and 22.5 kg average weight were used. Animals were reared during 28 weeks in native pasture and offered mineral supplements consisting of: A = NaCl 93.2% plus a regular trace mineral supplement (TMS) 6.8%; B = NaCl 86.4%, plus TMS 6.8%, plus dicalcium phosphate 6.8%; C = NaCl 86.4% plus TMS 6.8%, plus rock phosphate 6.8%. At the end of the experimental period three goats from each treatment were slaughtered and the meat from the shoulder and the leg collected and analyzed. Cholesterol content in goat meat ranged from 61.5 to 76.1 mg/100 g. It was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the meat from goats offered the calcium supplements (treatments B and C) than in the meat from goats without calcium supplement (treatment A). Meat phospholipid varied from 6.2 to 8.2 mg/100 g and was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in goats offered dicalcium phosphate (treatment B) than in goats offered the mix without calcium supplement or the one containing rock phosphate (treatments A and C). Both cholesterol and phospholipid were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in goat shoulder meat than in goat leg meat for the supplemented animals, and did not show any difference for the unsupplemented animals.