Fatty Acid Composition of Pork Lipids as Affected by Basal Diet, Fat Source and Fat Level

SATURATED fat continues to be implicated as a causative agent in raising the serum cholesterol; hence, atherosclerosis in man. A relatively high degree of saturation is essential for maximum keeping quality of some pork products (Palmer et al., 1952) and to avoid problems with soft bellies. Soft pork is preferred, however, for the cuisine of most of the Pacific Basin area, including Hawaii. Ellis and Hankins (1925) demonstrated that when hogs were fed diets low in linoleic acid, there was a progressive hardening of the fat accompanied by increases in total saturated acids. It was further illustrated by Ellis and Isbell (1926) that fat from hogs fed various types of high oil feeds was high in linoleic acid and oily. These workers further demonstrated that corn and soybean oils resulted in greater softening of fat than peanut and rice oils. More recently the literature indicates that pork fat can be altered to an undetermined extent by varying the linoleic acid level of the diet of the pig. Fatty acid composition was also found to vary according to sample location, growth rate, fatness of the carcass and sex (Sink et al., 1964; Allen, Cassens and Bray, 1967; Brooks, 1967; Koch et al., 1968; Babatunde et al., 1968; Hutagalung et al., 1969).