The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of concentrates including legume seeds (Vicia faba var. minor or Pisum sativum) on lamb performances and meat quality, emphasizing the intramuscular fatty acid composition. Thirty lambs (14.5 +/- 3.45 kg live weight) were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments: i) group fed on concentrate including 400 g/kg of peas (PEA); ii) group fed on concentrate including 380 g/kg of faba bean (FB); iii) group fed on concentrate including 180 g/kg of soybean meal (SBM). Growth and slaughter performances were not affected by treatments as well as physical and proximate chemical meat characteristics. FB and SBM meat showed higher (P< 0.001) vaccenic acid levels compared to PEA meat. Oleic acid was higher (P< 0.05) in PEA meat compared to SBM meat while its level in FB meat was similar to counterparts. Linoleic acid levels tended to increase (P< 0.10) in SBM lambs compared with PEA animals. PEA group showed higher (P< 0.001) alpha-linolenic acid proportions compared with FB and SBM groups and a tendentially higher (P< 0.10) eicosapentaenoic acid content compared with SBM meat. As a result, total n-3 fatty acids were higher (P< 0.05) in PEA meat compared to SBM one while the proportions in FB meat were at intermediate level. These findings accounted for a lower and more favourable (P< 0.001) n-6/n-3 ratio in PEA group compared with counterparts. Peas based-concentrate seemed to be more effective than faba bean-or soybean meal-included concentrates to improve the acidic profile of meat leading to higher a-linolenic acid levels and a lower n-6/n-3 ratio

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of saponins from Quillaja saponaria on fatty acid (FA) composition and cholesterol content in muscle Longissimus dorsi of lambs. A total of 24 Barbarine lambs were assigned to four dietary treatments: control diet (C) consisting of oat hay ad libitum and 400 g of concentrate (80% barley, 17.5% soybean meal and 2.5% vitamin and mineral supplement); C diet plus 30 ppm of Q. saponaria L. (QS30); C diet plus 60 ppm of Quillaja (QS60); C diet plus 90 ppm of Quillaja (QS90). Saponin supplementation reduced the concentration of C14:1 cis-9 (P 5 0.001) and of its desaturation index (P 5 0.002). None of the FA intermediates of ruminal biohydrogenation (BH) was affected by Quillaja saponin supplementation (P . 0.05). The concentration of C20:4n-6 was higher in the meat of animals receiving 60 ppm of Quillaja than C and QS30 groups. Supplementing 60 ppm of Quillaja reduced the ratio between a-linolenic and linoleic acids compared with the C group (P 5 0.023). We did not find any significant effect of Quillaja saponins on muscle cholesterol level. Further investigations are necessary to assess the metabolic fate of saponins in the rumen and to understand whether there is an effect of saponin on D 9 -desaturase enzyme activity, ruminal BH and cholesterol metabolism in ruminants. Supplementing up to 90 ppm of Quillaja saponins did not produce detrimental effects on the overall meat FA profile.

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