Caiman’s fat enriched with n-3 fatty acids: potential food supplement

VALLI, FLORENCIA E.; LEIVA, PAMELA M.L.; LAVANDERA, JIMENA; CONTINI, MARÍA C.; GERSTNER, CAROLINA; PIÑA, CARLOS I.; SIMONCINI, MELINA S.; GONZÁLEZ, MARCELA A.

TROPICAL ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION

SPRINGER

Año: 2023 vol. 55

0049-4747

Broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) products (meat, fat and oil) are currently beginning to be valued as a food ofspecial interest due to its high content of n-3 fatty acids. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the fats of caiman fed with diets enriched with faxseeds (Linus usitatissimun) rich in n-3 fatty acids, lignans and antioxidants. Caimanswere fed six days a week with: a control diet (C), and a diet enriched with ground faxseed=90% C+10% faxseed ground(FS), during 30 (FS30) and 60 (FS60) days. Animals fed the faxseed-enriched diets increased linolenic acid content andreduced the n-6/n-3 ratio of fats relative to controls, and this improvement increased over time. The proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid also increased, but there was no diference at the time the enriched diets were ofered. Caiman fat of the FS30and FS60, showed a decrease in lipoperoxidation (24% and 40%) and reactive oxygen species (44% and 76%) accompaniedby an increase in antioxidant systems. Consumption of a fax-enriched diet by caimans increases the content of essentialfatty acids and improves the lipoperoxidative status of fat. This provides an enriched fat with potential for the developmentproducts for human consumption.