ABSTRACT
Meat has an important place in a healthy diet, providing protein with a good balance of amino acids, iron in a readily available form, vitamins, especially of the B group and other essential minerals such as zinc (Williamson et al., 2005). Meat also contributes a signi" cant amount of fat to the human diet and it is this component that has been most under the spotlight in recent years in relation to the healthiness of people consuming meat. Meat contains relatively high amounts of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and ruminant meats (beef and lamb) are low in polyunsaturated fatty acids. This balance, if replicated in the whole diet, predisposes people to a range of diseases including cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, research papers show that the fatty acid composition of meat can be greatly modi" ed by production factors such as animal diet, age, weight, sex, and breed. Fatty acid composition also varies between species and tissue sites in the body. All these variations provide the meat industry with the tools to supply meat containing a healthy balance of fatty acids to the consumer, either in the form of fresh meat or meat products.
