An assessment of the fatty acid composition of horse-meat available at the retail level in northern Spain

- Studies insufficiently detail horse-meat nutritional composition.
- Fatty acid composition of horse-meat available at retail was assessed.
- High variation was observed in the n-3 PUFA content.
- Several horse loins could be marketed as a source of n-3 FAs.

The objective of the present study was to assess the fatty acid composition of horse-meat available at the retail market in northern Spain. Horse steaks (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle; n = 82) were purchased from butcher-shops and large grocery stores throughout six northern regions of Spain in two different seasons. Fat content differed significantly among regions (1.12 to 2.77%). Samples with higher intramuscular fat content presented the highest percentages of total monounsaturated fatty acids and the lowest contents of dimethylacetal and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), while the opposite was found in the leanest samples. A high variability was observed in the muscle and subcutaneous n-3 PUFA content. Overall, total n-3 PUFA content ranged between 1.17% and 18.9% in muscle fat and between 1.52% and 27.9% in backfat. Interestingly, almost 5% of surveyed loins from horse carcasses (4 out of 82) contained over 300 mg of linolenic acid per 100 g of meat which could have been marketed as a “source” of n-3 FAs according to Commission Regulation (EU) No 116/2010.