Abstract
Abstract. Thirty-six Kivircik male lambs were used to determine the effects of rearing season (winter rearing – WR; spring–summer rearing – SSR; and autumn rearing – AR) on carcass and meat quality characteristics. Average daily gain in the period 0–134 days, final weight, cold carcass weight and real dressing percentage were higher in WR lambs than lambs from SSR and AR groups. Furthermore, SSR and AR lambs did not show significant differences for these traits (P > 0.05). WR lambs had the highest values in terms of back fat thickness, subjective carcass fatness score and fat percentage in pelvic limb, which gives information about the carcass fatness. Final meat pH, expressed juice and meat lightness 1 h after cutting were higher for SSR lambs than for WR and AR lambs. SSR lambs had the lowest scores in terms of flavour intensity, flavour quality and overall acceptability in the sensory evaluation panel. In conclusion, WR lambs yielded better carcass quality than SSR and AR lambs. When the rearing season is to be decided, the higher carcass quality of WR lambs and the lesser appreciation of meat of SSR lambs by consumers should be considered.
Highlights
Sheep breeding in Turkey is usually performed by the use of native breeds and using traditional methods – which are similar to many countries in the Middle East
Winter-reared lambs (WR) lambs had the highest score in subjective carcass fatness while Spring–summer-reared lambs (SSR) lambs had the lowest score for the same trait
The lowest lightness and hue values were observed in the SSR lambs, while there were no significant differences between WR and Autumn-reared lambs (AR) lambs with regard to these traits
Summary
Sheep in the traditional production system proliferate according to natural breeding period and lambs suckle their dams until the slaughter age (Ekiz et al, 2012). Butchers and restaurants which cater for high-income consumers demand high-quality lamb meat throughout the year. For this reason, some farmers apply synchronization programmes in order to supply meat as demanded by the market year round. According to the natural breeding programme, lambs are usually born in winter and are kept with their dams in sheepfold until spring as the pasture conditions are not suitable for lamb grazing in this period. Farmers who aim to obtain lambs in other seasons take advantage of pasture and graze their lambs to provide for their nutritional needs. The feeding system of lambs changes according to the rearing season
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