LIPID PROFILES AND FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF BROILER RABBIT MEAT

Fatty acid composition of total, polar and neutral lipids revealed that rabbit meat lipids contained mainly palmitic, oleic, linoleic, stearic, linolenic, arachidonic and myristic acids. The unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), constituted 61.40 to 66.10%, among which monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were 25.50 to 30.70% and 31.40 to 39.00% of total lipids, respectively. Young broiler rabbits (8 weeks) contained more UFA and PUFA than older rabbits (12 weeks). Polar lipids contained less palmitic acid and more linoleic acid than total lipids. The UFA and PUFA contents were substantially lower in neutral lipids than those of polar and total lipids.