Patent ID: 7910308

Claim:
A method for detecting fatty acid content in a bovine subject's muscle tissue, comprising: lower C14:0 content and lower C16:0 content in triacylglycerols (TAG) and a greater percentage of C18:1 content in phospholipids (PL) and TAG, wherein the presence of at least one genetic marker located in the thioesterase region of the fatty acid synthase gene is identified, said method comprising: a) providing a bovine genetic sample, said sample comprising nucleic acids from said bovine including the bovine fatty acid synthase gene; and b) detecting, in said genetic sample, the presence of at least one genetic marker that is linked to a fatty acid content trait, said genetic marker comprising a G nucleotide at the position corresponding to position 17924 of SEQ ID NO:6, wherein said G nucleotide is indicative of lower C14:0 content and lower C16:0 content in triacylglycerols (TAG) and a greater percentage of C18:1 content in phospholipids (PL) and TAG.