Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar 16;12(6):746.
doi: 10.3390/ani12060746.

Nutritional Profile of Donkey and Horse Meat: Effect of Muscle and Aging Time

Rosaria Marino  1 , Antonella Della Malva  1 , Aristide Maggiolino  2 , Pasquale De Palo  2 , Francesca d'Angelo  1 , Josè Manuel Lorenzo  3   4 , Agostino Sevi  1 , Marzia Albenzio  1
Affiliations

Nutritional Profile of Donkey and Horse Meat: Effect of Muscle and Aging Time

Rosaria Marino et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 14-day vacuum aging on the nutritional composition of donkey and horse meat. Longissimus Dorsi (LD), Semimebranosus (SM), and Rectus Femoris (RF), Semitendinosus (ST) muscles were sampled from each left carcass of 12 donkeys and 12 horses, respectively. Each muscle was divided into three sections, vacuum packaged, and stored at 2 °C for different aging times (1, 6, and 14 days). Fatty acids, amino acids, and cholesterol content were determined. SM exhibited higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) both in donkey and horse, whereas LD evidenced higher saturated (SFA) and monounsaturated (MUFA) fatty acids and lower cholesterol content in horse after 1, 6, and 14 days of storage. An aging effect was found only in donkey meat with higher saturated fatty acids and lower PUFA content at the end of the aging period. The highest value of essential amino acids has been displayed in SM an LD muscles from horse and donkey, respectively. Our results highlighted that equine meat, due to an excellent nutritional profile, represents a healthy alternative to traditionally consumed red meat. A different aging method could be used in donkey meat to preserve the high PUFA content.

Keywords: aging time; donkey; horse; meat; nutritional quality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of muscle and aging time (days) on cholesterol content (mg/100 g) of meat from horse and donkey (means ± SEM; LD = Longissimus Dorsi; SM = Semimembranosus; ST = Semitendinosus; RF = Rectus Femoris). a, b = p < 0.05 (muscle effect).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Insausti K., Beldarrain L.R., Lavín M.P., Aldai N., Mantecón Á.R., Sáez J.L., Canals R.M. Horse meat production in northern Spain: Ecosystem services and sustainability in High Nature Value farmland. Anim. Front. 2021;11:47–54. doi: 10.1093/af/vfab003. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Belaunzaran X., Bessa R.J., Lavin P., Mantecon A.R., Kramer J.K., Aldai N. Horse-meat for human consumption—Current research and future opportunities. Meat Sci. 2015;108:74–81. doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2015.05.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Polidori P., Cammertoni N., Santini G., Klimanova Y., Zhang J.J., Vincenzetti S. Effects of Donkeys Rearing System on Performance Indices, Carcass, and Meat Quality. Foods. 2021;16:3119. doi: 10.3390/foods10123119. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Simopoulos A.P. n-3 fatty acids and human health: Defining strategies for public policy. Lipids. 2001;36:S83–S89. doi: 10.1007/s11745-001-0687-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lorenzo J.M., Maggiolino A., Sarriés M.V., Polidori P., Franco D., Lanza M., De Palo P. Horsemeat: Increasing Quality and Nutritional Value. In: Lorenzo J.M., Munekata P.E.S., Barba F.J., Toldrá F., editors. More than Beef, Pork and Chicken—The Production, Processing, and Quality Traits of Other Sources of Meat for Human Diet. Springer International Publishing; Cham, Switzerland: 2019. pp. 31–67. - DOI