Diverse lamb genotypes—2. Meat pH, colour and tenderness

Abstract

The effect of genotype on meat ultimate pH, colour and tenderness was studied in 3 experiments involving 436 lambs. The lambs were sired by a selection of Texel (T), Poll Dorset (PD), Border Leicester (BL) and Merino (M) rams, crossed with Border Leicester × Merino (BLM) and Merino (M) ewes giving 6 genotypes (T × BLM, PD × BLM, T × M, PD × M, BLM and M × M). In experiment 1, pH data were obtained for 4 muscles ( M. Semimembranosus (SM), M. Biceps femoris M. Semitendinosus and M. Longissimius thoracis et lumborum (LL)) from 198 carcasses representing two sexes (104 cryptorchid males, 94 ewes). There were significant differences for pH between genotypes in both sex groups. BL × M and M × M lambs tended to have higher pH values than the other genotypes. In experiment 2, meat pH, colour using a chromameter, and tenderness data were obtained for 186 lambs representing two sexes (101 cryptorchid males, 85 ewes). There were few significant differences between genotypes for the various meat quality traits amongst the ewes. The PD × BLM ewes had a significantly lower ( p < 0.05) pH than the BL × M ewes for the LL and SM muscles. The BL × M crypt orchids had a higher LL muscle pH ( p < 0.05) than the PD × BLM cryptorchids with other genotypes being intermediate. There were no significant differences between the genotypes for muscle shear force values. Within experiment 2, LL samples were taken from an additional 52 cryptorchid carcasses these being from 3 specific Poll Dorset sires (experiment 3). One of these sires (sire 3) was suspected of carrying a gene for increased muscling. Sire had a significant effect ( p < 0.05) on shear force values, cooking loss and L ∗ colour values, but not a ∗ or b ∗ colour values or pH. Sire 3 progeny had significantly ( p < 0.001) tougher LL muscles than those from the other 2 sires. Sire 3 also had the lowest L ∗ values, but was intermediate for cooking loss. There was no significant sire effect on LL area at the same carcass weight, but boneless loins from the progeny of Sire 3 were significantly ( p < 0.05) heavier. In a fourth experiment, meat colour was measured at three sites (LL, diaphragm and M. Obliquus externus abdominis) on 86 cryptorchid carcasses 24 hr post-mortem. There was little association between L ∗, a ∗ and b ∗ values measured at the different sites.