Lipid content in duck meat can show a very large variation. It influences the nutritional and sensory attributes of the meat and perhaps it influences meat susceptibility to oxidation during cold storage of fresh or processed meat. By combining the duck genotype (Muscovy duck, Pekin duck and mule) and the nutritional level (ad libitum or overfed) we were able to obtain duck fillets exhibiting a large variation in lipid content and to distribute them into 3 classes (2.0 to 3.5%, 4.0 to 5.5% and 5.9 to 7.9% fat). Storage at + 4 degrees C or -20 degrees C of raw meat or at + 4 degrees C of dry-cured fillets did neither affect the colour and fatty acid composition of the meat nor its susceptibility to lipid or protein oxidation.