Abstract
Abstract. Twenty-four dual purpose (wool/meat) suckling and early weaned ram lambs were used to study the fatty acid profile in intramuscular fat of longissimus lumborum muscle and lipid oxidation in blood serum. At 60 days of age 12 rams were slaughtered as suckling lambs. The other 12 early weaned and fed according to standards by grass hay and concentrate, and slaughtered at 90 days of age. Suckling lambs had more polyunsaturated fatty acids (P≤0.01) than early-weaned lambs. Younger lambs obtained also higher values of n-3 fatty acids (P≤0.01) and lower n-6/n-3 ratio (P≤0.01) appropriate in relation to their contribution to human health. Muscle tissue of early-weaned lambs compared to suckling group was characterised by significantly higher c9,t11C18:2 content (P≤0.01), which is desirable in human diet with regard to its peculiarities. The higher amount (P≤0.01) of vaccenic acid, which is the substrate for rumenic acid formation, has been observed in early-weaned lambs also.
Highlights
The fatty acid composition plays remarkable role in the definition of quality and nutritional value of meat for human consumption (Williams 2000)
The fatty acid composition in the diet is very important in relation to consumer health
The suckling lambs slaughtered at 60 days of age did not exceed body weight required for light lambs (17-22 kg) in Poland
Summary
The fatty acid composition plays remarkable role in the definition of quality and nutritional value of meat for human consumption (Williams 2000). Lipid peroxidation is one of the major causes of quality deterioration in raw and cooked meat products. The oxidation of lipids results in the production of compounds, which affect the flavour and colour of meat. The fatty acid composition in the diet is very important in relation to consumer health. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), n-3 PUFAs exert beneficial effects against cardiovascular and tumour diseases, inflammatory and immune disorders, and neurological dysfunctions (Fernandez & Venkatraman 1993, Burns & Spector 1994, Calder 1998). The conjugated linoleic acids (e.g. c9,t11 C18:2) have the same profitable effect on human health (Khanal & Dihman 2004). Among ruminant-origin meat, lamb meat can be characterised by comparatively high amounts of beneficial conjugated linoleic acids (Schmid et al 2006)
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