The present study was conducted in a packing house, with the assays being done in the Sector of Meat Technology/Food Science Department of the Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA). With the objective of evaluating the effect of sex and category of weight on the meat proximate composition and content of cholesterol, 20 equines (10 castrated males and 10 females) were slaughtered and grouped in pre-established categories of weight: C1 (88.82 to 97.88 kg); C2 (102.20 to 115.80 kg), C3 (129.7 to 160.69 kg) and C4 (162.80 to 236.40 kg); with 5 animals for each category. The muscles longissimus dorsi (LD) and semimembranosus (SM) were collected and analyzed for: moisture, fat, protein and ashes (AOAC, 1990) and the cholesterol was determined by colorimetry (Bragagnolo, 1997). The statistical model was completely randomized, in factorial scheme 2X4, and the data were analyzed through the statistical program SAS. The factor sex influenced (p<0,05) the contents of cholesterol in LD muscle, with average values (in base of dry natural material) of 36.77% and 56.08%, for males and females, respectively. The factors category of weight and sex had no influence in the values of moisture, protein, ash and fat in the muscles LD and SM, the averages seing: ashes (0.70% and 1.66%); moisture (75.53% and 75.83%); fat (0.67% and 2.03%); protein (21.63% and 22.49%) for the muscles LD and SM, respectively. The rates of these chemical components show that, the meat of equines obtained in a packing house presents a high quantity of protein and low quantity of fat and can be considered as a light meat.
Proximate composition; Meat; Equines
