New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Changes in composition and quality characteristics of ovine meat
and
fat from castrates and rams aged to 2 years
O. A. Young
Division of Applied Sciences
Auckland University of Technology
Private Bag 92006
Auckland Mail Centre
Auckland 1142, New Zealand
owen.young@aut.ac.nz
G. A. Lane
C. Podmore
K. Fraser
M. J. Agnew
T. L. Cummings
N. R. Cox
AgResearch Limited
Private Bag 3123
Waikato Mail Centre
Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
Abstract A comprehensive set of quality
parameters has been
recorded for meat and fat from groups of castrate and ram lambs raised
on pasture and slaughtered in groups of six at 91-day intervals from
122 to 668 days of age. These include mechanical evaluation of meat
tenderness, sensory evaluations of meat flavour and fat odour, and
measurements of fat colour, fatty acid composition, vitamins C and E,
free glucose and iron in the meat, and of the concentrations of the
flavour compounds indoles, phenols, and branched chain fatty acids in
the fat. There was significant variation in many parameters between
slaughter days, including markedly lower meat tenderness in one
slaughter group, probably in response to unfavourable pasture
conditions. Older ram lambs tended to be less tender than castrates of
the same age. However, no longer-term age-related trends were observed
in tenderness or flavour quality. Concentrations of free glucose in
rigor muscle and vitamin C showed a declining trend with age.
Concentrations of the branched chain fatty acids 4-methyloctanoic and
4-methylnonanoic acids in fat increased with age. Sex category effects
were observed for the branched chain fatty acids and for indole and
skatole. Higher concentrations were observed in ram lambs. The data
indicate there is only a limited decline in lamb meat quality
characteristics up to nearly 2 years of age, but that pasture feeding
conditions may affect quality significantly.
Keywords pasture; lamb; meat; fat; age; quality;
branched
chain fatty acids
A05063; Online publication date 25 October 2006 Received 29 November
2005; accepted 19 September 2006
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2006, Vol. 49:
419–430
0028–8233/06/4904–0419 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2006
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