Meat colour and lipid oxidative stability can be improved by adding antioxidants to animal diet. This study investigated the effects of the addition of astaxanthin to a butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)-containing commercial milk-replacer, at a rate of 25 mg of astaxanthin/kg of milk-replacer powder, on suckling lamb meat quality. Twenty newborn (2 day old) lambs allocated to individual pens were artificially reared for 22 days. Ten lambs (Control) were fed a commercial milk-replacer and the other ten (Astaxanthin) received the same milkreplacer but included astaxanthin. After the feeding trial, meat and fat colour, astaxanthin and BHT levels in meat, oxidative stability in refrigerated and frozen raw meat and refrigerated cooked meat, and meat volatiles in cooked meat were determined. Astaxanthin in artificially reared suckling lambs at the levels used reduced the accumulation of BHT in the meat, slightly affected meat colour, by reducing meat lightness and increasing meat and fat redness, and increased the lipid stability of frozen meat.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.