chemical composition and fatty acids quantification in commercial meat products processed in brazil

This study aimed to determine and compare the proximate composition and the content of fatty acids in different meat products processed in Brazil. To this end, meat products (formed ham, hamburger, mortadella, ham, salami, sausage) from three different brands for each derivative and from five different lots for each brand have been examined. The total lipids ranged from 1.84% for the ham brand C to 31.61% for the salami brand F; hamburguers presented values in the range of 14% of total lipids, with no significant difference (P<0.05) between brands analyzed. The major fatty acid found for meat derivatives was the oleic acid (18:1n-9), whit values between 0.79% for the ham brand A to 12.18% for the salami brand C. Hamburguers showed the lowest variation in oleic acid content, with values around 5.2%. The mean values of n-6/n-3 and polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids (PUFA/SFA) rations were 26.28 and 0.68, respectively, for the sausage, 14.41 and 0.30 for the hamburger; respectively. The Salami was the meat derivative with the highest content of fat and the ham was with the lowest content of fat between examined products, becoming the healthiest option among all products.