This study analyzed the fatty acid content and phospholipid profiles of bovine by-products (kidney, heart, lung) to evaluate their lipid characteristics and potential for value-added utilization. Across all three organs, palmitic acid (C16:0), oleic acid (C18:1n-9), and stearic acid (C18:0) were identified as the predominant fatty acids, although their relative abundance varied among organs. Notably, the kidney contained detectable levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3, 3.52 mg/100 g) and cis-11,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid (C20:3n-3, 3.84 mg/100 g), which were undetectable in the other organs. Quantification via Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance revealed that the kidney possessed the highest content of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, 1,035.28 mg/100 g), significantly higher than those in the heart (295.99 mg/100 g) and lung (430.17 mg/100 g). The phospholipid-bound fatty acid profiles differed markedly among the organs. Heart phosphatidylcholine (PC) was enriched in linoleic acid (C18:2n-6, 34.24%), whereas kidney and lung PC were predominantly composed of palmitic acid (31.88% and 43.12%, respectively). All PE species were characterized by higher levels of arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6) compared to PC, with the highest content observed in the kidney (35.85%), followed by the heart (28.88%) and lung (31.47%). Furthermore, the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acid in PC was highest in the heart (1.69), followed by the kidney (1.33) and lung (0.70).
Jang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.