Meat quality of castrated and non-castrated Santa Ines lambs subjected to food restriction

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the quality of meat of castrated and non-castrated Santa Ines lambs submitted to food restriction. Were used 30 lambs, 15 castrated and 15 non-castrated, about two months of age and average initial body weight of 13.00 ± 1.49 kg. The lambs were distributed in a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement 3 x 2 (restriction level x sex class), according to the amount of food provided. The duration of the experiment was determined by the time required for the animals in the one of the groups achieved 28 kg of body weight. There was interaction between food restriction levels and sex class to the variables intensity of yellow color and pH in the longissimus lumborum muscle and the shear force in the semimembranosus muscle. In non-castrated animals, the intensity of yellow color was higher in the longissimus lumborum muscle at the level of 30% of food restriction. There was no significant interaction between food restriction levels and sex class for the quality aspects related to color saturation, color tone, luminosity, red intensity, water holding capacity and cooking losses in longissimus lumborum and semimembranosus muscles. Although food restriction and sex class have influenced the variables related to the quality of meat of the animals evaluated, the mean values are considered acceptable by the literature. The feeding restriction levels and sex class influence some important features of quality of Santa Ines lamb meat. Key words: Animal nutrition. Hair sheep. Ham. Loin. Qualitative parameters. ResumoObjetivou-se avaliar a qualidade da carne de cordeiros Santa Inês castrados e não castrados submetidos à restrição alimentar. Foram utilizados 30 cordeiros, 15 castrados e 15 não castrados, com aproximadamente dois meses de idade e peso corporal inicial médio de 13,00 ± 1,49 kg. Os cordeiros foram distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado em arranjo fatorial 3 x 2 (nível de restrição x classe sexual), de acordo com a quantidade de alimento fornecido. A duração do experimento foi determinada pelo tempo necessário para que a média de peso corporal dos animais de um dos tratamentos atingisse 28 kg. Houve interação entre os níveis de restrição alimentar e as classes sexuais sobre as variáveis de intensidade de cor amarelo e pH no músculo longissimus lumborum e sobre força de cisalhamento no músculo semimembranosus. Em animais não castrados, a intensidade de cor amarelo foi maior no músculo longissimus lumborum, no nível de 30% de restrição. Não houve interação significativa entre os níveis de restrição e a classe sexual para os aspectos de qualidade relacionados à saturação de cor, tonalidade da cor, luminosidade, intensidade de vermelho, capacidade de retenção de água e perda de peso por cocção nos músculos longissimus lumborum e semimembranosus. Embora a restrição alimentar e a classe sexual tenham influenciado as variáveis relacionadas à qualidade de carne dos animais avaliados, os valores médios observados são considerados aceitáveis pela literatura. Os ...

Physicochemical and sensory characterization of meat from lambs subjected to feeding restrictions

“…Generally, the nutritional status influences the pH of the meat too. In this study (Sousa et al, 2016), the animals subjected to a 60% restriction showed no increase in pH, indicating that this restriction probably did not take the animals to a state of malnutrition due to the short restriction period (60 days) to which the animals were subjected. Malnutrition in sheeps is one of the primary causes of elevated pH in meat because it prevents sufficient accumulation of glycogen reserves in the muscles, thereby reducing the formation of lactic acid and preventing the pH from declining normally (Madruga et al, 2008).…”

“…This behavior can be justified by the lower fat content that makes the meat lighter. The fat implies loss of capillary permeability, which difficulty the transfer of oxygen from the muscle fiber, requiring a greater contribution of myoglobin to oxygen storage, reducing the luminosity (Sousa et al, 2016).…”