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SUMMARYSignificant differences were found in the flavour characteristics of stewed minces from lambs raised on either lucerne or phalaris pastures. The meat from lambs raised on lucerne had a more intense ‘sharp’ and ‘sickly’ aroma and flavour and a significantly lower flavour acceptability. These characteristics were not significantly alter when the lambs were starved for up to 3 days before slaughter. However, the flavour of meat from lambs transferred from lucerne to phalaris 7 or 14 days before slaughter was not significantly different from that of lambs grazed solely on phalaris.

Beef with subcutaneous fat containing about 20% linoleic acid was produced by supplementing rations of 9-month old Angus steers with a formaldehyde-treated sunflower seed-casein preparation for 2 months. A laboratory taste panel compared the flavor of this beef with that from steers fed a conventional diet. In addition the cooked-meat flavor volatiles recovered by vacuum distillation were examined by gas chro matography. High-linoleic beef was preferred less and was significantly different from conventional beef in possessing a characteristic 'oily' odor and flavor, probably attributable to elevated levels of tram, trunsdeca-2,4-dienal found in lipid portions of the cooked meat. However, it did not possess the objectionable sweet odor sometimes found in highlinoleic lamb produced using the same supplement.

Merino wether lambs and yearling sheep grazed irrigated lucerne or grass pastures in the period immediately before slaughter. Some of the sheep grazed continuously on the lucerne or grass for up to 6 months, while others grazed grass and then lucerne in the 4 weeks immediately before slaughter, over this same period. A laboratory taste panel compared the flavour of the meat from the grass and luceme-fed sheep.The intensity of the flavour characteristic of cooked meat from lucerne-fed lambs or sheep was found to increase in intensity with increasing length of time of grazing the legume. In addition, both 4-week and continuous-lucerne grazing treatments exhibited significant seasonal effects, in which the intensity of the lucerne-derived taint was found to vary throughout the year, with a maximum intensity appearing when lucerne was grazed in the cooler months.

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