Physicochemical and nutritional characteristics of Béni Guil lamb meat raised in eastern Morocco

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The Béni Guil sheep is the main ovine breed that dominates livestock farming in the semi-arid region of eastern Morocco. No previous data is available on the quality of Béni Guil PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) lamb meat raised on the natural pasture of this area. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide the physicochemical and nutritional characteristics of Béni Guil PGI lamb meat. METHODS: Béni Guil PGI lamb meat was analysed for its quality parameters, fatty acid composition and amino acid profile. RESULTS: Results show that the Béni Guil PGI lamb meat has a significant juiciness (high water holding capacity), a marked tenderness (low collagen content) and a bright red colour. Longissimus lumborum muscle from Béni Guil PGI lambs contains 25.72% dry matter, including 19.43% protein, 5.14% fat, and 0.94% minerals. Gas chromatography-flame ionisation detection, for fatty acid analysis, revealed 49.45% saturated fatty acids (SFA), 38.48% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and 12.4% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The UFA:SFA and n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios were 1.04 and 3.78, respectively, and were comparable to those recommended for a balanced diet. The amino acid analysis, allowed the identification of eight essential amino acids. The chemical index and the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score values were 132 and 124, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the Beni Guil PGI meat has nutritional values in accordance with the nutritional recommendations and specific to the feeding system based mainly on grazing.

Effect of the concentrate-based finishing on the proximate composition, organoleptic quality and fatty acids profile of the Beni-Guil sheep meat

“…Total saturated fatty acids were present at higher proportions than monounsaturated fatty acids, with the lowest proportions corresponding to polyunsaturated fatty acids. In general, the values were similar to others reported for Beni-Guil sheep breed [7,30].The prevailing individual fatty acids (FA) were oleic acid, followed by palmitic, stearic, and linoleic. The saturated fatty acids (SFA) present the highest proportion of total fatty acids in the meat of NF lambs, while the monounsaturated (MUFA) fatty acids dominate the profile of F lambs meat (42 vs 40 vs 16% respectively for MUFA, SFA, and PUFA).…”

“…BeniGuil-PGI Lamb meat is the main sheep meats produced in the eastof Morocco.It is very appreciated by the consumer because of its taste and its nutritional quality [7]. This has been revealed in our previous studies concerning the carcass and meat physicochemical characteristics of Beni-Guil sheep [7,8]. In this study, we supposed that the fatness state has significant effects on the meat quality and the fatty acids profile of the Beni-Guil sheep meat.…”

“…However, other authors indicate that meat from grazed lambs has a darker color and shows more favorable fatty acids profile than meat from the concentrate-fed system [4][5][6]. BeniGuil-PGI Lamb meat is the main sheep meats produced in the eastof Morocco.It is very appreciated by the consumer because of its taste and its nutritional quality [7]. This has been revealed in our previous studies concerning the carcass and meat physicochemical characteristics of Beni-Guil sheep [7,8].…”

“…Carcass measurements and observations included fatness state and carcass conformation for prediction of lamb carcass quality, were subjectively evaluated under the supervision of a veterinarian and according to the European system (EUROP) as described byCarrasco, Ripoll [9]. Carrasco, Ripoll [7]. The live weight (LW) and cold carcass weight (CCW) are used to calculate the carcass yields or commercial yield (CY) using the following formula: CY = (CCW/LW) × 100…”

Quality characteristics of the carcass of Beni-Guil sheep, a Protected Geographical Indication certified product of Eastern Morocco: Preliminary study

“…Beni-Guil sheep meat is one of the most popular ovine meat in Morocco. Since 2011, it has the PGI label because of its organoleptic and nutritional qualities (Belhaj et al, 2018). There are many studies about this breed, but they mainly investigate husbandry practices such as mating, lambing, and weaning (Guessous et al, 1989;Boujenane et al, 1998;Boujenane, 2005).…”