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In this article, we have documented that meat from the suckling lamb is an interesting and potentially important source of omega-3-FAs, especially some of the long-chain polyunsaturated FAs (LC-PUFAs) that are essential for optimal neonatal growth and development. These results may have special implications to the infant food industry, in that products made using meat from suckling lambs may provide not only exceptional amounts of these FAs, but also other limiting essential nutrients such as iron. This may be especially important in regions of the world, such as Italy, where use of lamb meat as a weaning food is common during infancy.

Effect of outdoor (OUT) or indoor (IND) rearing systems (RS) of 48 male and female Sarda suckling lambs on fatty acid (FA) composition and lipid oxidation of raw and cooked meat was studied. Ewes grazed daily on natural pasture for 6 h. During grazing time of ewes, IND lambs were kept indoors whereas OUT lambs followed the mother. Slaughter age was 28 days. RS did not affect meat chemical composition, pH, cooking loss and FA profile. Microwave cooking changed markedly the concentrations of almost all meat FAs and FA classes: short (-28%) and medium chain fatty acids (-11%), saturated fatty acids (-7.6%), oddnumber carbon and branched-chain FA (-11.8%), proportion of long chain fatty acids (+5.3%) and PUFAn3 (+37.3%) and PUFAn6 (+26.1%) class. Sex influenced significantly the concentration of the main odd-number carbon and branched chain fatty acid. OUT rearing system increased MDA concentration (P<0.01). RS ¥ cooking interaction affected PUFA and MDA, which were higher in cooked samples of OUT than IND lambs. The results evidenced that the meat composition of suckling lambs is affected by the feeding system of the mother rather than the management system of lambs.

In this study, we investigated the effects of maternal gestation and/or lactation diets supplemented with extruded linseed (rich in 18:3n-3) on growth performance and long-chain polyunsaturated faaty acid (PUFA) accumulation in muscle tissues of suckling lambs. A total of 36 dairy ewes were fed a control diet (CON) and a diet containing linseed (LIN) during the last 8 weeks of gestation and/or the first 4 weeks of lactation. The four dietary treatments consisted of the following gestation/lactation feeding treatments: CON/CON, CON/LIN, LIN/LIN or LIN/CON. The lambs born from ewes fed the aforementioned diets were reared exclusively on milk and were slaughtered at 4 weeks of age. Profiles of ewes' milk fatty acids and that of intramuscular fat (IMF) of leg muscles from lambs were determined. Compared with the CON/CON, LIN/CON offspring tended to grow slower and to have reduced cold carcass weights. Moreover, the LIN supplementation only in the prepartum period (LIN/CON) resulted in greater PUFAn-3 accumulation in the IMF compared with the CON/CON offspring due to increased 20:5n-3 (1.20 v. 0.64 mg/100 mg of total FA), 22:5n-3 (1.91 v. 1.46;) and 22:6n-3 (1.25 v. 0.89) contents, respectively. Compared with the CON/CON diet, providing LIN only during lactation (CON/LIN) caused a greater PUFAn-3 content in the IMF mainly due to a greater 18:3n-3 (1.79 v. 0.75 mg/100 g total FA) concentration. Continuous PUFAn-3 exposure, both via the maternal gestation and lactation diet, had no additive effects on PUFAn-3 accumulation in tissues. The results suggest that linseed, as an 18:3n-3 source, seems to be more efficient in increasing long-chain PUFAn-3 in fetal than in suckling lamb tissues.

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The objective of the study was to measure N volatilisation (NVOL) from bedded-pack dairy cow barns. Feed intake, milk production, bedding material used and meteorological variables were monitored in 3 dairy farms near the town of Arborea (39°46’26” N, 08°34’53” E, 7 m a.s.l.) during one month for each season from summer 2007 to spring 2008. NVOL was measured in the interval between excretion and removal of bedded-packs from barn floors. NVOL was measured using the N (nitrogen) to P (phosphorus) ratio marker method, considering P as an internal non-volatile marker in milk and manure. Nitrogen and P excretion was estimated by nutrient balance as intake minus N and P excreted in milk. NVOL coefficient and bad-pack temperature were almost constant among seasons. The annual mean NVOL in bedded-pack barns was equal to 38.8% of excreted N. Accounting also for the NVOL that occurred in the concrete floor of the feeding and walking areas of the barns, NVOL was 40.7% of N excreted

The aim of this study was to compare the fatty acid (FA) profile of fresh lamb meat with those of baby foods based on lamb meat. For this purpose, samples of commercial homogenized (HO) and lyophilized (LIO) baby food based on lamb meat and fresh lamb meat (FM) were analyzed for their FA composition. All fatty acids, except for oleic acid and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), differed among the three baby products tested. The sum of omega-6 FA and the ratio omega 6/omega 3 FA were lower in FM and LIO meat compared to HO samples. The content of total PUFA n-3 was the highest in FM, because of its highest content of C18:3 n3, EPA, DPA and DHA compared to LIO and HO baby food. The content of arachidonic acid was more than 6-fold higher in FM compared to LIO and HO. This study evidenced the possibility of enhancing the FA profile of commercial baby food based on lamb meat by using meat with healthier FA profile