Effects of USDA beef quality grade and cooking on fatty acid composition of neutral and polar lipid fractions

- One of the few studies exploring the fatty acid composition of neutral and polar lipid fractions.
- Intramuscular fat content increases led to a more drastic deposition of fatty acids in neutral lipids than in polar lipids.
- Cooking effects on fatty acids interacted with quality grade and lipid fraction.

The effects of USDA beef quality grade (QG; Prime, Low Choice, and Standard; n = 8) and cooking (RC) on fatty acid (FA) concentrations (mg/g dry matter) and percentages of neutral and polar lipid fractions (NL and PL, respectively) from strip steaks were explored. An increase in QG led to an accumulation of most FA, especially in the NL fraction (P < 0.001). Common effects on FA percentages were two-way interactions of either QG or RC with LF (P ≤ 0.019). Fatty acids were affected differently by QG and RC depending on their originating LF. Monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) percentages of the PL were dependent on QG (P ≤ 0.014). Cooking and QG had minimal impact on FA percentages of the NL, however, greatly influenced PL MUFA and PUFA percentages (P < 0.001). There was evidence indicating that dry heat cookery affected not only PUFA, as generally thought, but also the MUFA of PL fraction.