Effect of replacement of Tifton-85 hay with Pleurotus spp. mushroom residue on physicochemical composition, fatty acid profile and sensorial attributes of lamb meat

Abstract

Forty crossbred (Santa Ines × Dorper) male lambs with initial body weight of 27.8 ± 2.37 kg were used to investigate the effect of dietary mushroom cultivation residue (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% as DM) replacing Tifton-85 hay on growth, meat quality, fatty acid composition and sensory attributes. Mushroom cultivation diet replacing Tifton-85 hay did not change the slaughter weight, pH, color, water holding capacity, shear force, centesimal composition of the longissimus lumborum muscle. Cooking loss of content, C18:2n–6 and C20:4n–6, ∑PUFA, ∑n–6 and the ΣPUFA:∑AGS and ΣPUFA:ΣMUFA ratios decreased quadratically. There was a linear increase in t-11–C18:1 and CLA and a quadratic increase in DMI, elongase activity and sensory attributes (tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptance) of meat. Thus, it is recommended to replace Tifton-85 hay with mushroom residue in the diet of lambs to provide greater PUFA concentrations, especially CLA, which has numerous benefits for human health, without compromising the meat physicochemical attributes.