Carcass traits and meat fatty acid composition of Barbarine lambs reared on rangelands or indoors on hay and concentrate

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare carcass and meat quality between Barbarine lambs raised on rangelands and those reared indoors. A total of 24 weaned male lambs (23.2 kg) were allotted into two groups. The first group (GS) grazed pasture dominated by natural shrubs and was supplemented with 100 g of concentrate. The second group (HS) received oat hay and 200 to 300 g supplement of the same concentrate in order to obtain the same average daily gain (ADG) as the GS group. Six lambs from each group were slaughtered. Lambs to be slaughtered were randomly identified at the beginning of the trial. Carcass traits (offals percentage, dressing percentage, cuts yield, tissue composition, fatness and conformation) were determined; pH and meat and fat color were measured. Samples from longissimus lumborum were collected to analyze fatty acid composition. The GS group was characterized by a higher offals percentage, associated with higher lungs, heart, liver and kidney percentage. Carcass dressing percentage defined as the rate between hot carcass weight and empty BW was lower by 3.4% in the GS group. No differences were observed for carcass meat yield and carcass and leg compactness. Shoulder bone percentage of the GS group was higher, without differences in fat and lean percentages. Fat thickness, kidney and tail fats were lower in the GS lambs. However, intramuscular fat content was not affected. Percentages of saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were not modified, whereas levels of n-3 and long n-3PUFA (EPA, DPA and DHA) as well as Δ5 desaturase plus Δ6 desaturase index were higher for the GS group. Thrombogenic and atherogenic indexes were not altered. No significant effects were observed for meat pH, meat and fat color. Despite having the same ADG, lambs from the GS group were less fatty, and their meat was richer in beneficial fatty acids.

Fatty acid profile of muscles and adipose tissues of fat-tail Barbarine lambs as affected by rosemary residue intake

“…They accounted for 70 %-80 % of the total FA. These results were consistent with values commonly accepted for fat-tailed (Majdoub-Mathlouthi et al, 2015;Mekki et al, 2016) and thin-tailed sheep (Joy et al, 2012;Hopkins et al, 2014).…”

Nutritional Indices for Assessing Fatty Acids: A Mini-Review

“…Tissues of adults have a lower rate of synthesis of n-3 long-chain PUFAs than those of infants, so the LA/ALA ratio in the diet does not have too much of an impact on adults. In the literature we reviewed, the LA/ALA ratio was used in research on ruminants and dairy products as well [ 43 , 55 , 109 ]. Majdoub-Mathlouthi et al compared the meat fatty acid composition of Barbarine lambs raised on rangelands and those reared indoors.…”

“…Majdoub-Mathlouthi et al compared the meat fatty acid composition of Barbarine lambs raised on rangelands and those reared indoors. The results showed that the grazing lambs had lower LA/ALA [ 43 ]. Sharma et al compared the fatty acid profile of indigenous Indian cow milk with exotic and crossbred counterparts.…”

Meat quality, organoleptic characteristics and fatty acid composition of Dorset lambs fed different forage to concentrate ratio or fresh grass

“…The very small difference (less than 1% unit) in water content (Table 2) has also not influenced the juiciness perception of the meat of the different groups, which is consistent with most of the previous research not reporting any difference in meat juiciness between concentrate or grassfed lambs (Fisher et al 2000;Borton et al 2005;Resconi et al 2009) although Priolo et al (2002) found that meat from stall lambs fed 85% and 15% hay was juicier than for grazed lambs. In many studies, stall feeding is confounded with concentrate feeding or conserved forage feeding (Procha et al 2009;Majdoub-Mathouthi et al 2015). In the present study, fresh grass was either grazed (GR) or stall fed (ZGR), allowing comparison between indoor lambs and those exposed to environmental conditions, such as exercise, outside temperature, rain, and insect.…”