Mesquite pod (Prosopis juliflora) meal on meat quality of pasture-finishing lambs

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the best inclusion level and the effects of mesquite pod (Prosopis juli ora) meal on carcass characteristics and meat quality for lambs nished in pasture. Forty male, noncastrated, crossbred Santa Inês lambs, with an initial body weight (24.2 ± 3.1 kg), and approximately 120days old. The animals were kept in a total area of 4 ha, divided in 4 paddocks of 0.62 ha each (10 animals/paddocks), on pastures of Massai (Panicum maximum cv. massai) with drinkers and feeders during the nishing phase. Dietary treatments based on levels of corn ground replacement for mesquite pod meal included: CON -Without mesquite pod meal; MPM25 -250 g/kg of mesquite pod meal; MPM50 -500 g/kg of mesquite pod meal; and MPM75 -750 g/kg of mesquite pod meal. No treatment effects were detected (P> 0.05) for carcass measures, carcass characteristics, chemical composition of longissimus thoracis muscle, tissue composition, and lipid oxidation. Lamb meat color values, such as lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) were not affected (P> 0.05) by mesquite pod meal replacement on the diets, whereas for redness (a*), HUE, and crhoma were in uenced (P< 0.05). Palmitic acid had a quadratic effect, while oleic acid, eicosatrienoic acid, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and PUFA:SFA had a linear course (P< 0.05). In conclusion the mesquite pod meal can be used as an energy feed source up to 750 g/kg of dry matter in the diet, without changing the carcass characteristics and meat quality of lambs nished in pasture.