Proximate, amino acid, fatty acid and mineral composition of raw and cooked camel (Camelus dromedarius) meat

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to study the effects of cooking on proximate composition, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and total, heme and non-heme iron content of camel meat. Design/methodology/approach: A total of ten longissimus thoracis muscles (500 grams) were collected between the tenth and twelfth ribs of the left side. Samples were randomly collected from two to three year old camel carcasses chilled (1-3°C) for 48 hours then stored at -20°C. The first portion was kept fresh while the second one was placed in plastic bags and cooked by immersion in a water bath at 70°C for 90 minutes. Both samples were freeze-dried, and then ground to a homogeneous mass to be used for chemical analyses. Findings: Cooked samples had significantly (p < 0.05) higher dry matter by 27.7 per cent, protein by 31.1 per cent and fat by 22.2 per cent, but lower ash content by 8.3 per cent than the raw ones. Cooking had no significant effect on amino acid and fatty acid composition of the meat. The components of camel meat most significantly affected by cooking were macro- and micro-minerals, which ranged between 13.1 and 52.5 per cent, respectively. Cooking resulted in a significant decrease in total, heme and non-heme iron contents by 4.3, 8.7 and 4.0 per cent, respectively. Research limitations/implications: The research is restricted to camel meat but it is an exploratory study. The issue of research outcome as only longissimus thoracic muscle is another limitation. Further investigation is needed to include different muscles, temperatures, durations and cooking methods. Practical implications: Amino acids and fatty acids of camel meat are not affected by cooking, while heating accelerated total and heme iron oxidation suggest camel meat to be a rich source of heme iron. Originality/value: The paper is original in its findings and useful for both researchers and academics in the field of meat science.