Meat and fat quality of unweaned lambs as affected by slaughter weight and breed

• Published in: Meat science 2009-10, Vol.83 (2), p.308-313
• Main Authors: Juárez, M., Horcada, A., Alcalde, M.J., Valera, M., Polvillo, O., Molina, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: animal husbandry; ash content; Biological and medical sciences; carcass weight; carcass yield; Churra Lebrijana; dairy breeds; Fatty acid; fatty acid composition; flavor; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Grazalema Merino; juiciness; lamb meat; lambs; lipid content; liveweight gain; longissimus dorsi; males; Meat and meat product industries; meat tenderness; myoglobin; sensory evaluation; sheep breeds; slaughter weight; subcutaneous fat; suckling; traditional farming; Weaning; weanlings
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2009.05.017

Sixty-four male lambs of two Southern Spanish breeds, a dairy breed (Grazalema Merino) and a meat breed (Churra Lebrijana), were used to study the effects of slaughter weight and breed on meat traits and intramuscular and subcutaneous fat composition. Lambs were reared following a traditional production system without weaning and slaughtered when live weight reached 12 kg (suckling) or 20 kg (light). Meat from suckling lambs of both breeds had lower fat and myoglobin contents, and was more tender and had higher scores for sustained juiciness in the sensory analysis. Fat from light lambs had lower C12:0 and C14:0 levels than fat from suckling lambs. Grazalema Merino meat had higher fat and ash contents, and its fat had higher conjugated linoleic acid content than Churra Lebrijana meat.