Cyclopropane fatty acids as quality markers in meat

Cyclopropane fatty acids (CPFA) are unusual fatty acids of microbial origins and, recently, their presence was demonstrated in milk and dairy products. Information is lacking on the presence of cyclic fatty acids in meat. Therefore, an analytical procedure, based on GC-MS analysis and 1H NMR spectroscopy, to detect them in meat was developed. The GC-MS method allowed to detect cyclopropane fatty acids, but in some cases, the presence of interfering peaks required the confirmation by 1H NMR spectroscopy. CPFA (mainly dihydrosterculic acid) were detected in several commercial bovine meat samples but not in meat of certified origins from cows not fed with silages; moreover, they were absent in pork, chicken and rabbit meats. Cyclopropane fatty acids can be proposed as a marker in meat of the use of silage in animal feeding.