Resumo

SARNO, María del C; UTGES, Enrique E; FARIAS, Alejandro R.  e  DELGADO, Juan M.. Nutrient content of dove meat from the province of Chaco, Argentina. J. Argent. Chem. Soc. [online]. 2007, vol.95, n.1-2, pp.32-38. ISSN 1852-1428.

The diet of inhabitants of the province of Chaco (Argentina) is built on the basis of wild fauna. Doves, which constitute a plague for cultivated fields, are used as dietary supplement. Food composition tables do not contain information on nutritional quality of these species of regional origin. In this paper we analyze the composition of macronutrients and main mineral components of muscular tissue of  Zenaida auriculata, Columba picazuro and Leptotila verreauxi species. The quality of lipids was determined by gaseous chromatography of its methyl esters. These meats show a protein content of 18 - 21%, and total lipids content of 0.72 - 1.24 %. Potassium levels were found to be 16- 24 mg/100 g breast, and sodium levels from 15 to 20 mg/100 g of breast, lower than average values for bovine meat. The contribution of polyunsaturated fatty acids overcame saturated fatty acids in the lipidic fraction of muscle. The contribution of essential fatty acids is above 20% of the lipid fraction for linoleic (18:2 n-6) fatty acid for the three species. Contribution of linolenic fatty acid (18:3; n-3) is 15% for Leptotila verreauxi. Contribution of arachidonic acid (20:4 n-6), semiessential, is 8 to 12% of the lipid fraction. The content of n-6 fatty acids was found to be 37 to 47 % of lipids in the three species; however n-3 fatty acids are present in a low percentage (2-3,9 %) in Zenaida auriculata and in Columba picazuro, and 17 % in Leptotila verreauxi. Low cholesterol levels (< 0.1 % mean) completed a fatty acid profile of high nutritional quality

Palavras-chave : Dove meat; Macronutrients; Fatty acid profile; Nutritional quality.