Fat content in poultry

Poultry meat has a quality and nutritive value comparable to other meats. There is little fat in the meat of young birds, but the fat content varies greatly with age and species of poultry. Chicken fat has higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids than that of red meat.

In United States, consumers have move away from beef due to concerns about saturated fat and cholesterol as risk factors for heart disease. The health benefits of poultry are due to the low-fat and low-cholesterol contents of its lean portions, which are about 3.6% fat of which about one-third is a saturated and about one-fourth is polyunsaturated.

Poultry fat is distributed throughout the tissues, most of the fat in poultry is found just under the skin and in the abdominal cavity.

In comparison, lean beef has about 10.2% fat of which about one-third is saturated and about one twenty-fifth is polyunsaturated. A comparison of the fat amounts and fat compositions given above easily reveals the significant lower cholesterol content in poultry as compared to beef.

Turkey and chicken deli breast products are some of the most popular low fat poultry products. They command premium prices as breast meat is in the greatest demand and thus is the most valuable part of the bird. Both turkey and chicken are processed for roasts, pot pies, sausage, hot dogs and cold cuts like turkey ham, bologna, pastrami, salami, and the like.
Fat content in poultry