Determination of Some Quality Parameters of Buffalo Meat

The buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a cattle that plays an important role in the lives of millions of people in many ways such as milk, meat, cargo, transport, transportation and farm manure in India and other Asian countries. Disease resistance, adaptability to various climatic conditions, better digestible meat of low quality grass-fed, faster growth, and weight gain are essential for buffalo breeders. Buffalo meat is similar to cattle meat in terms of meat composition, quality and sensory characteristics. It has some nutritional advantages such as containing less fat and calories. As a matter of fact, studies on the meat of some other animals such as sheep, lamb and beef, which are among the sources of red meat today, have increased recently. Consumers' interest in buffalo meat is increasing day by day in terms of both the high nutritional value of meat quality and the creation of a new red meat source. In this study, the physicochemical properties of buffalo meats were determined. For this purpose, 20 different Anatolian water buffaloes (7 male and 13 female) grown in the borders of Istanbul/Catalca district were used. The samples were taken from the Musculus longissimus dorsi (MLD) part of the animals for the analysis of buffalo meats. Color (L*-brightness, a*-red and green, b*-yellow and blue), moisture content, protein content, fat content, ash content, pH and water activity (aw) of buffalo meat samples were determined. In addition, the fatty acid composition of buffalo meats was determined. The average ash, pH, water activity, moisture, protein and fat ratios of buffalo meats were determined as 2.64%, 5.71, 0.99, 65.60%, 22.28% and 8.65%, respectively. L*, a* and b* values were determined as 42.66, 21.66 and 19.61, respectively. The major fatty acids of buffalo meats were C18:0 (stearic acid) while C18:3 (linolenic acid) was the least abundant fatty acid. The results of this studies suggested that buffalo meat could be considered as a good source of red meat.