ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Characterization of Fatty Acid Composition
in Eurasian Badger (Meles meles)
K. Zalewski1, D. Martysiak- Żurowska2, M. Iwaniuk2, B. Nitkiewicz1,
A. Stołyhwo2
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1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
ul. Oczapowskiego 1a, 10-957 Olsztyn, Poland
2University of Technology, Department of Food Analysis and Quality Assessment, University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2007;16(4):645-650
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs, LA and ALA) are not synthesized in mammals in the absence of
their essential fatty acid precursors. However, hibernating animals and animals sleeping through the winter
need sufficiently high amounts of these acids. The Eurasian badger does not hibernate, but sleeps over
winter. In the autumn the body weight of adult badgers increases even twofold, since they put on fat before
the winter. Fat is deposited primarily in the subcutaneous layer of adipose tissue, and much less commonly
in the muscles, liver and around the intestines. The percentage composition of fatty acids (Saturated fatty
acids-SFAs, monounsaturated fatty acids-MUFAs, PUFAs) is different in particular types of tissue. The
lipids isolated from depot adipose tissues (suet, subcutaneous, perirenal, periintestinal fat) are dominated
by monounsaturated fatty acids (on average 41.25%), followed by saturated fatty acids (33.53%). Polyunsaturated
FAs have the lowest proportion in this groups of tissues, on average 17.75% of total FAs. On the
other hand, liver lipids contain over 44% PUFAs. The fatty acid composition of lipids in badgers tissue
includes considerable quantities of essential unsaturated n-6 and n-3 fatty acids of great pharmacological
significance.