THE AMINO ACID AND FATTY ACID PROFILE OF WILD DUCK (ANAS PLATYRHYNCHOS) MEAT

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the amino acid and fatty acid profiles of selected tissues of wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos L.) in relation to sex. The research material consisted of breast and thigh muscles obtained from 20 farm-reared wild ducks (10 males and 10 females). The results showed significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) concentrations of amino acids in the breast muscle of males compared with females, whereas no significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) were observed in the thigh muscle between sexes. In terms of fatty acid composition, oleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid were identified as the predominant fatty acids in both muscles and sexes. The breast muscle of males also contained significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Sex had no significant effect on most of the analysed fatty acids. Based on the obtained amino acid and fatty acid profiles and their comparison with other poultry species, wild duck meat may be considered a nutritionally valuable source of high-quality protein and beneficial fatty acids for the human diet.