A simplified method for cholesterol determination in meat and meat products

The objectives of this study were to develop an accurate and precise method for cholesterol quantification in meat samples based on modifications made to an existing procedure (AOAC Official Method 994.10), and to apply this modified method to evaluate cholesterol levels in longissimus muscles (LM) from Angus (AN, n=5), Brahman (BR, n=4), and Romosinuano (RM, n=9) breeds. Validation of this method was performed using a meat homogenate (Standard Reference Material 1546) from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and LM samples from the three breeds with fat contents ranging from 2.4% to 9.3%. The results indicated that the modified method was accurate with cholesterol recovery exceeding 95%. The method was also found to be precise with an average coefficient of variation of 3.12%. The modification reduced 90% of chemicals used and eliminated time-consuming steps that hindered high throughput application of the traditional method. The application of this method to quantify cholesterol contents of LM samples revealed differences among the three breeds evaluated. The Angus LM with a higher fat content (50% higher) was associated with a significantly higher cholesterol concentration (70.25 mg/100 g) as compared to LM from Brahman and Romosinuano purebreds (64.77 and 65.76 mg/100 g; P=0.005 and 0.006, respectively). Cholesterol concentration was found to be correlated with the i.m. fat content of LM muscle from the three breeds (r=0.90, P<0.001). Cholesterol concentrations of LM determined in this study were comparable to those reported in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference for separable lean from Choice rib-eye steaks. This modified method was reliable and should be evaluated for adoption as an appropriate method for cholesterol quantification in meat samples.