In the experiment, thirty-six entire male lambs were used, 24 of Santa Inês breed (SI) and 12 of Bergamácia breed (BE). At random six SI and three BE, which weighed 15kg at the beginning of the experiment, were slaughtered and the rest when they reached the slaughtering weights of 25, 35 and 45kgs. The objective of the study was to evaluate the basic chemical composition, the fatty acids by gas chromatography and cholesterol by high performance liquid chromatography in the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle. The results were submitted to a regression analysis. The moisture decreased while lipid fraction increased linearly when slaughter weight was increased and ash contents remained constant. The BE breed showed higher moisture and lower lipid contents than the SI breed. The content of cholesterol was similar in both breeds, but it decreased linearly when the slaughter weight increased. Twelve fatty acids were identified and the results indicated that the C16:0 concentration increased linearly with the animals' weight. The C18:0 decreased linearly in the SI breed and it was adjusted through a quadratic equation in the BE breed, with the maximum limit at 35kg. The total saturated fatty acids had similar results among the examined variables (slaughter weight and breeds), with a 43.6±2.5% average. The C18:1omega9 and total monounsaturated fatty acids were higher in the SI breed and in both breeds these quantities increased linearly with the increase in animal weight. The quantity of total polyunsaturated fatty acids in both breeds decreased with an increase in animal weight, with SI data were adjusted by an exponential equation and the BE breed by a linear equation.
sheep; fatty acids; cholesterol; longissimus dorsi
