Characterization of Caiman latirostris meat enriched with flaxseed

SIMONCINI, M.; LABAQUE, M.C.; PERLO, F.; FERNÁNDEZ, M.E.; TEIRA, G.; LARRIERA, A.; PIÑA, C.I.

Skukuza

Congreso; 24th working meeting of the Crodoile Specialist Group; 2016

CSG/SSC/IUCN

Caiman meat is a non-traditional dietary protein source, but based on its qualities could be presented as a healthy food product. In this work, we evaluated the physicochemical characteristics of meat from captive-bred individuals fed a regular diet, and individuals whose diet was enriched with flax and chia seeds. We found that with the regular diet, Caiman meat is reduced in fat, high in protein content, is tender and exhibits aesthetic appeal, with a high representation of oleic, linoleic and palmitic fatty acids. The addition of seeds to regular caiman diets altered the color (b* coordinate) making meat more yellowish. The addition of flax seed altered the lipid profile, increasing the proportion of oleic acid, and with the addition of chia seed we observed increased polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial to human health.