Analysis of fatty acid content and phospholipid composition in bovine by-products (kidney, heart, and lung)

This study analyzed the fatty acid content and phospholipid profiles of bovine by-products (kidney, heart, lung) to evaluate their lipid characteristics and potential for value-added utilization. Across all three organs, palmitic acid (C16:0), oleic acid (C18:1n-9), and stearic acid (C18:0) were identified as the predominant fatty acids, although their relative abundance varied among organs. Notably, the kidney contained detectable levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3, 3.52 mg/100 g) and cis-11,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid (C20:3n-3, 3.84 mg/100 g), which were undetectable in the other organs. Quantification via Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance revealed that the kidney possessed the highest content of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, 1,035.28 mg/100 g), significantly higher than those in the heart (295.99 mg/100 g) and lung (430.17 mg/100 g). The phospholipid-bound fatty acid profiles differed markedly among the organs. Heart phosphatidylcholine (PC) was enriched in linoleic acid (C18:2n-6, 34.24%), whereas kidney and lung PC were predominantly composed of palmitic acid (31.88% and 43.12%, respectively). All PE species were characterized by higher levels of arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6) compared to PC, with the highest content observed in the kidney (35.85%), followed by the heart (28.88%) and lung (31.47%). Furthermore, the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acid in PC was highest in the heart (1.69), followed by the kidney (1.33) and lung (0.70).