Fatty acid profile in brain and hepatic tissues from pigs supplemented with canola oil

Abstract

Canola oil is an important source of oleic acid, in addition to being an accessible source for its use in the production of pigs’ diets. Oleic acid in turn is a type of unsaturated fatty acid that in pork is beneficial for human health. Therefore, this study was conducted to describe the fatty acid profile in brain and liver tissues from pigs supplemented with canola oil for 98 days, during the growth and finishing phases. For the analysis was used eighteen male pigs that had free access to feed and water throughout the experimental period.  Dietary treatment consisted of corn-soybean meal growing-finishing diets supplemented with 3% fat from canola oil (CO). To obtain the fatty acid profile, the lipids from each tissue were cold extracted using the adapted method from Bligh and Dyer, methylated, and posteriorly injected in a gas chromatograph to obtain the fatty acid profile of the tissue. In both tissues there was a greater abundance of saturated fatty acids (stearic acid). The most abundant monounsaturated fatty acid was the oleic acid. Regarding polyunsaturated fatty acids, in the liver the most abundant was linoleic acid and in the brain docosahexaenoic acid. In summary, animals' diet influences the fatty acid profile in different tissues. Such modifications can increase unsaturated fatty acids concentration in relation to saturated, making pork healthier for human consumption.