Fatty Acid Composition of Goat Organ and Muscle Meat of Alpine and Nubian Breeds

Fatty acid compositions of liver, heart, kidney, Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Biceps femoris (BF) of two goat breeds were evaluated using capillary gas chromatography (GC). Lauric (C12:0) acid was absent from the liver and kidney. All organ samples had significantly (P < 0.01) greater polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) than the LD and BF muscles. The organs also contained significantly (P < 0.01) higher saturated fatty acids (SFA) than the skeletal muscles, whereas the opposite trend occurred for the C18:1 contents. Levels of 14:0, 16:0, and 18:2 acids were related to breed, while those of 14:0, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2, and 20:4 acids were related to tissues. Goat muscle had higher PUFA:SFA ratio than those reported for beef, which may be important in human nutrition.