Fatty acid composition and tocopherol concentrations in muscle of entire male, castrated male and female pigs, reared in an indoor or outdoor housing system

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of outdoor rearing on the fatty acid (FA) composition and contents of tocopherols of M. longissimus dorsi polar (PL) and neutral lipids (NL) in entire males, castrated males and female pigs. Fat content did not differ between genders or rearing conditions. In PL of the indoor pig muscle the level of n − 6 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) was higher in females and entire males compared with castrated males. The outdoor environment resulted in a slightly higher level of n − 3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) in muscle PL and NL of entire males compared with females and castrated males. We also found an increased level of 18:2 n − 6 in the muscle PL of outdoor reared females compared with the indoor females. The higher levels of PUFA in the entire male muscle, in both PL and NL, were not accompanied by a higher level of vitamin E.