Abstract
Simple SummaryThe problem addressed in this research was the possibility of enhancing the nutritional value and health beneficial omega-3 long-chain fatty acid content of lamb and its edible components. The aims and objectives were to evaluate the omega-3 contents of muscle, liver, kidney, and heart of lot-fed Tattykeel Australian White lambs of the MARGRA brand, in response to dietary supplementation with or without omega-3 oil fortified pellets. The findings demonstrate that the inclusion of omega-3 oil in feedlot diets of lambs enhances the human health beneficial omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid profiles of edible muscle tissue and organs without compromising meat quality or shelf life. These results are valuable to society because of increased functionality, health benefits, micro-marbling, tender, mouth-melting taste, and high-end eating quality experience of MARGRA lamb tissues and organs.The aim of this research was to evaluate the nutritional enhancement of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA) composition of edible lamb Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle, heart, kidney, and liver in response to dietary supplementation of lot-fed lambs with or without omega-3 oil fortified pellets. The hypothesis tested was that fortifying feedlot pellets with omega-3 oil will enhance the human health beneficial n-3 LC-PUFA composition of edible lamb muscle tissue and organs. Seventy-five Tattykeel Australian White lambs exclusive to the MARGRA brand, with an average body weight of 30 kg at six months of age, were randomly assigned to the following three dietary treatments of 25 lambs each, and lot-fed as a cohort for 47 days in a completely randomized experimental design: (1) Control grain pellets without oil plus hay; (2) Omega-3 oil fortified grain pellets plus hay; and (3) Commercial whole grain pellets plus hay. All lambs had ad libitum access to the basal hay diet and water. Post-slaughter fatty acid composition of the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle, liver, kidney, and heart were determined using thee gas chromatography–mass spectrophotometry technique. Results indicated significant variations (p < 0.05) in fatty acid profiles between tissues and organs. Omega-3 oil fortified pellets significantly (p < 0.05) increased ≥C20 n-3 LC-PUFA (C20:5n-3 eicosapentaenoate, EPA + C22:5n3 docosapentaenoate, DPA + C22:6n3 docosahexanoate DHA); C18:3n-3 alpha-linolenate, ALA; C18:2 conjugated linoleic acid, CLA; total monounsaturated fatty acids, MUFA; polyunsaturated fatty acids, PUFA contents; and reduced the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in all lamb organs and tissues without impacting shelf-life. The findings demonstrate that the inclusion of omega-3 oil in feedlot diets of lambs enhances the human health beneficial omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid profiles of edible muscle tissue and organs without compromising meat quality.
Highlights
Functional foods are among the fastest-growing markets in developed countries where the average consumer prefers omega-3 enrichment with information about the food’s production process [1]
It is important to strike a balance between attaining higher total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) deposition in the muscle and oxidative stability [53] because meat color, flavor, nutritional value, shelf-life, and overall consumer acceptance can be compromised by lipid oxidation [54,55]
ALA is the precursor for the synthesis of n-3 LC-PUFA through desaturation and/or chain-elongation by desaturase and elongase enzymes [60,61]
Summary
Functional foods are among the fastest-growing markets in developed countries where the average consumer prefers omega-3 enrichment with information about the food’s production process [1]. Functional foods can influence satiety and a healthier lifestyle [2]. The main strategies for creating healthier and functional foods with increased satiety include the modification of dietary fat, fiber, and sugar compositions [2]. Ansorena and Astiasarán [3] provided insights into the methods of modifying the formulations of fresh, cooked, and fermented meat products in order to increase omega-3 fatty acid content without modifying animal diets. The fortification of functional beef burgers with microencapsulated cod liver oil [4], algal and wheat germ oil emulsions [5] are examples of methods for enriching foods with omega-3 fatty acids. An essential component of the human diet, is rich in nutrients including protein, fatty acids, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and B-complex vitamins [6,7,8]
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