Lamb Meat Quality Research Articles

Effect of feeding level on growth rate, carcass characteristics and meat quality of thin tailed lambs

A study was conducted to investigate the growth rate and carcass characteristics of lambs under different feeding levels. Twenty one lambs (3 months old) were allocated into 3 treatments of feeding levels, namely 4% of body weight (BW) (T1), 5.5% of BW (T2) and provided ad libitum (T3). The diet contained 13.74% of CP and 61.79% of TDN. The lambs were raised to reach 25 kg BW, before being slaughtered. The parameters observed were dry matter intake (DMI), dry matter digestibility (DMD), body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass production, meat-bone ratio (MBR), fat distribution, chemical composition of meat and fatty acids profile. The data obtained were analyzed by analysis of variance and continued by Duncan's multi-range test if there was any significant difference among the treatments. The results showed that the average of DMD was 59.71% (P>0.05). The lambs fed T3 had the highest BWG (203 g/day), the lowest FCR (6.8) and the shortest rearing time (67 days) (P<0.01). The average of carcass percentage was 46.36% and meat production was 6,931 g (P>0.05). The lambs of T3 had the heaviest carcass fat (2,698 g), the lightest carcass bone (1,985 g), the highest MBR (3.6), and the highest PUFA to SFA ratio (0.55). It can be concluded that the higher the feeding level resulted in the higher growth rate, the lower feed conversion ratio, higher meat-bone ratio and higher carcass fat production, lower feed conversion ratio and the shorter rearing time; but did not af-fect the meat quality.

Non-genetic factors affecting the meat quality and flavor of Inner Mongolian lambs: A review.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region ranks first among the five major pastoral areas in terms of lamb breeding of China. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has a vast territory, with many famous grasslands and thousands of forage plants and multiple local high-quality lamb breeds. After hundreds of years of artificial breeding and improvement, Mongolian sheep have developed many varieties. Different diets, feeding and treatment methods have effects on the production performance, lipid deposition and flavor composition of mutton sheep. Therefore, understanding the relationship among Inner Mongolian lamb, meat quality, and flavor will improve the production of high-quality mutton. The regulation of meat quality and flavor will have a profound impact on the deep processing and income-generating capabilities of mutton. Non-genetic factors affect the quality and flavor of mutton, which are more intuitive than genetic factors. In this review, we cover the contributions made by scientists to explore and improve the quality and flavor of Inner Mongolia lambs through non-genetic means, compare the differences between grazing and drylot-feeding in detail, and summarize some feed additives. We hope that based on our review, we can provide some inspiration to improve the meat quality of Mongolian sheep.

Polymorphisms KIF12 GENE|BfaI and its Association on Carcass Characteristics and Lamb Meat Quality

One of gene which involves on mediation an antioxidant cascade in beta cells as an intracellular target of excess fat intake is Kinesin Family 12 (KIF12). This study aims to identify the diversity of SNP g. 9617965 C>T KIF12 and association with carcass characteristic and meat quality. The total sample used were 102 ram DNA samples consisted of 10 barbados cross sheep (BCS), 52 javanese thin tail (JTT), 15 jonggol sheep (JS), 15 garut sheep (GS), and 10 compass agrinak sheep (CAS). Identification of the diversity of KIF12|BfaI was conducted using the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The results showed that the amplification product was 696 bp. The diversity of the KIF12 gene was found three genotypes namely CC, CT, and TT. The allele frequency in all types of sheep was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. A SNP of the KIF12 was associated (P<0.05) with characteristic of carcass, including length of carcass. The association of KIF12 with meat quality was significant (P<0.05) too associated with pH and water holding capasity (WHC). It could be concluded that KIF12 gene is a potential candidate gene for carcass characteristic and meat quality traits in sheep

Effects of alfalfa and oat supplementation in fermented total mixed rations on growth performances, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in lambs

This study aimed to analyze the effects of replacing alfalfa in the fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) with oats on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of lambs. Overall, 45 noncastrated male crossbred (small tail Han sheep × Ujumqin sheep) lambs were randomly assigned to three groups on three groups on FTMR diets comprising 200 (CK group), 300 (AH-300 group), and 400 (AH-400 group) g/kg of oat hay in dry form, respectively. Dry matter intake, average daily gain, and total weight gain were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the AH-300 group than in the CK and AH-400 groups. Furthermore, the AH-300 group had a higher backfat thickness and intramuscular fat than the other groups, whereas dripping loss, cooking loss and shear force were markedly (p < 0.05) lower in the AH-300 group than in the AH-400 group. No significant differences were observed in carcass weight and dressing percentage among the three groups. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the replacing of alfalfa with oats in the FTMR diet could improve the growth performance and meat quality of lambs.

Characterization of fatty acid compositions in longissimus thoracis muscle and identification of candidate gene and SNPs related to polyunsaturated fatty acid in Hu sheep.

Fatty acid (FA) composition contributes greatly to the quality and nutritional value of lamb meat. In the present study, FA was measured in longissimus thoracis (LT) muscles of 1,085 Hu sheep using gas chromatography. Comparative transcriptomic analysis was conducted in LT muscles to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between six individuals with high polyunsaturated fatty acids (H-PUFA, 15.27% ± 0.42%) and six with low PUFA (L-PUFA, 5.22% ± 0.25%). Subsequently, the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a candidate gene PLIN2 were correlated with FA traits. The results showed a total of 29 FA compositions and 8 FA groups were identified, with the highest content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA, 46.54%, mainly C18:1n9c), followed by saturated fatty acids (SFA, 44.32%, mainly C16:0), and PUFA (8.72%, mainly C18:2n6c), and significant correlations were observed among the most of FA traits. Transcriptomic analyses identified 110 upregulated and 302 downregulated DEGs between H-PUFA and L-PUFA groups. The functional enrichment analysis revealed three significant Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways and 17 gene ontology (GO) terms, in which regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, the AMPK signaling pathway, and the PPAR signaling pathway may play important roles in FA metabolism and biosynthesis. In addition, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified 37 module genes associated with PUFA-related traits. In general, PLIN1, LIPE, FABP4, LEP, ACACA, ADIPOQ, SCD, PCK2, FASN, PLIN2, LPL, FABP3, THRSP, and ACADVL may have a great impact on PUFA metabolism and lipid deposition. Four SNPs within PLIN2 were significantly associated with FA. Of those, SNP1 (g.287 G>A) was significantly associated with C18:1n9c and MUFA, and SNP4 (g.7807 T>C) was significantly correlated with PUFA (C18:3n3). In addition, the combined genotype of SNP1 (g.287 G>A), SNP3 (g.7664 T>C), and SNP4 (g.7807 T>C) were significantly correlated with C16:1, C17:0, C18:1C6, PUFA (C18:3n3, C22:6n3), and n-6/n-3 PUFA. These results contribute to the knowledge of the biological mechanisms and genetic markers involved in the composition of FA in Hu sheep.

A prediction method for transport stress in meat sheep based on GA-BPNN

Transportation of live sheep is a relatively important part of the meat sheep industry, and the generation of transportation stress seriously threatens the organism health of live sheep as well as the quality of lamb meat. In this study, we selected Lake sheep, one of the edible sheep breeds, as the meat sheep research object, analyzed the actual needs of meat sheep transportation bio-sensing and modeling evaluation, and built a systematic bio-signal detection, processing and modeling method from bio-signal sensing, core waveform extraction to feature parameter estimation using wearable meat sheep physiological dynamic sensing and continuous monitoring of transportation environment sensors, and used modern spectrum estimation methods to judge and strip the target signal waveform from it to achieve accurate sensing and acquisition of transport key parameters. We also use modern spectral estimation methods to determine and extract the target signal waveforms from them, and achieve accurate sensing and acquisition of transport key parameters. Based on this, a qualitative stress assessment method based on external performance and a graded prediction model for transportation stress of meat sheep are constructed, and a predictive analysis and estimation management mechanism of stress level based on genetic algorithm optimized reverse artificial neural network is realized. Using a qualitative stress assessment method based on external manifestations, we established stage-specific classification rules for monitoring data in the transportation environment of meat sheep.The artificial neural network with optimized parameters based on the classification rules applying genetic algorithm is designed and implemented for real-time and efficient stress level prediction management mechanism for meat sheep transportation. The graded prediction model of meat sheep transportation stress was established by GA-BPNN and compared with the BP neural network optimized by particle swarm algorithm, simulated annealing algorithm and ant colony algorithm. The best optimization effect of GA was obtained, and the average prediction accuracy of the model could reach 89.81%. Finally, it achieves to improve the transportation reliability, reduce the transportation risk, and solve the problems of inefficient meat sheep transportation supervision and quality control.

Effects of supplementing sweet sorghum with grapeseeds on carcass parameters, and meat quality, amino acid, and fatty acid composition of lambs.

Sweet sorghum is an important forage crop for ruminants, especially in low rainfall areas. Grapeseeds are an abundant by-product of wine-making and contain bioactive substances that can improve the antioxidant capacity of meat. We examined the effect of sweet sorghum forage with supplementary grapeseeds on carcass and meat quality in lambs. Twenty-eight Small-tailed Han lambs (body weight = 19.1±1.20 kg), aged 3 to 4 months, were penned, and fed individually. The lambs were divided into four groups (n = 7 each) and were offered one of four diets: i) sweet sorghum silage; ii) sweet sorghum silage + grapeseeds; iii) sweet sorghum hay; and iv) sweet sorghum hay + grapeseeds. The grapeseeds were added to the concentrate at 6% DM and the diets were fed for 100 d. Sweet sorghum silage tended (p = 0.068) to increase hot carcass weight, while grapeseeds tended (p = 0.081) to decrease dressing percentage without affecting other carcass parameters. Lambs consuming supplementary grapeseeds increased (p<0.05) meat redness and tended to decrease (p = 0.075) concentration of methionine in meat. Lambs consuming sweet sorghum silage increased (p<0.001) water content of the meat and had a lower (p<0.05) concentration of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio than lambs consuming sweet sorghum hay. Saturated fatty acids content in meat was lowest (p<0.05) in lambs consuming sweet sorghum silage with grapeseeds. Lambs with supplementary grapeseeds tended (p<0.10) to increase eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and have a lower thrombogenic index than lambs not consuming grapeseeds. It was concluded that sweet sorghum with supplementary grapeseeds fed to lambs; i) improved the color of the meat to be more appetizing to the consumer; ii) tended to improve the fatty acids composition of the meat; and iii) lowered thrombogenic index of the meat.

Effect of Growth Hormone Exon-5 Polymorphism on Growth Traits, Body Measurements, Slaughter and Carcass Characteristics, and Meat Quality in Meat-Type Lambs in Turkey

This study examined the relationship between GHE5 polymorphisms and growth and carcass characteristics of meat-type sheep breeds reared in Turkey. A total of 202 lambs were tested, consisting of five breeds. By SSCP analysis and nucleotide sequencing, 14 nucleotide changes (12 substitutions and two deletions) were identified in four variants of GHE5. In the coding region of GHE5, five substitutions occur, including c.1588C&gt;Y(C/T) (Ala160Val), c.1603A&gt;M(A/C), c.1604G&gt;S(G/C) (Lys165Thr), c.1606A&gt;W(A/T) (Gln166Leu), and c.1664C&gt;Y(C/T). P3 female and P1 male lambs had the highest rump height at weaning, whereas P3 females and P2 males had the highest chest depth (p &lt; 0.05). At yearling, P1 variant lambs have longer body length (BL; p &lt; 0.05), wider leg circumferences, and thinner cannon bone perimeter (CBP) (p &gt; 0.01), in contrast to P2 variant lambs, which have a shorter BL and thicker CBP. Furthermore, P2 had a greater percentage of neck, shoulder, and leg, P1 had a greater percentage of loin, and P3 had a greater percentage of rack, but there was no significant difference between them. A marker-assisted selection approach can be used to improve sheep carcass quality traits by taking advantage of the nucleotide substitutions found on GHE5 and the detected differences between variants.

Effect of protective cultures on spoilage bacteria and the quality of vacuum-packaged lamb meat

Protective cultures, as natural antimicrobials, have the ability to suppress the growth of spoilage bacteria and can potentially be used to extend the shelf-life of fresh meat and help reduce food waste. As there have been limited reports on the application of this approach in fresh red meat, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential and practicality of this approach for red meat shelf-life extension based on the antimicrobial efficacy and quality impact of selected protective cultures. Two protective cultures (one containing Lactobacillus sakei and the other containing Staphylococcus carnosus and L. sakei) were applied to chill-stored (4 °C) vacuum-packaged lamb meat to determine their effects on spoilage bacteria as well as non-microbiological meat quality over a 20-day storage period. These protective cultures dominated the microbiota throughout storage and effectively suppressed the growth of common meat spoilage bacteria, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Pseudomonas spp., and Enterobacteriaceae. Meat color (measured in CIE L*a*b* color space) changed slightly in culture-treated samples in the later stage of storage, but the changes were not unacceptable based on previously reported thresholds for consumer acceptability. The mixed culture containing additional S. carnosus exhibited a slightly stronger inhibitory effect against the spoilage bacteria but also caused more changes in meat color. Protective culture addition did not significantly affect meat pH, texture, or microstructure. Overall, these results demonstrated the potential of biopreservation using protective cultures for fresh red meat shelf-life extension.

Fermented Total Mixed Ration with Cottonseed Meal or Rapeseed Meal Improved Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Hu Lamb Compared to Total Mixed Ration with Soybean Meal

Protein sources in livestock feed include cottonseed meals (CSM) or rapeseed meals (RSM). However, their use in feed diets is restricted due to anti-nutritional elements such as free gossypol or glucosinolate. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of microbial fermentation of total mixed ration (TMR) with CSM/RSM on the growth performance and meat quality of Hu lamb. Fifty-one male Hu lambs (4 months old) with a 22.51 kg body weight were randomly assigned to three treatments and fed unfermented TMR with soybean meal (control group), FTMR (fermented total mixed ration) with CSM or RSM, respectively. The experiment lasted 97 days. Growth performance, rumen fermentation, and meat quality were measured. Overall dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), and final body weight (FBW) were similar among treatments (p &gt; 0.05). There were no significant differences in the lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) of longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle meat. There were no significant differences between the FTMR-CSM/RSM and control groups in drip loss, cooking loss, cooking percentage rate, or shear force of LT muscle meat. Lambs fed FTMR-CSM had significantly higher rumen fluid total volatile fatty acid values than those in control or FTMR-RSM groups (p &lt; 0.05). Meat from lambs fed FTMR-RSM had a higher level of saturated fatty acids than lambs fed the control diet. The LT muscle meat of lamb fed FTMR-CSM had more unsaturated fatty acids than the control group (p &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, FTMR with cottonseed or rapeseed meal can be fed without causing any adverse effects on Hu lamb.

Effects of ultrasound-assisted thawing on lamb meat quality and oxidative stability during refrigerated storage using non-targeted metabolomics

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of ultrasound-assisted thawing on lamb meat quality and differential metabolite profiles during refrigerated storage. Compared with flow water thawing (FW), pH, a*, C*, and sulfhydryl content of lamb were significantly increased, while L*, drip loss and cooking loss were significantly decreased after ultrasound-assisted thawing (UT). On day 1 (UT1 and FW1) and day 7 (UT7 and FW7) in the UT and FW groups, principal component analysis explained 42.22% and 39.25% of the total variance. In this study, 44 (UT1 and FW1) and 47 (UT7 and FW7) differentially expressed metabolites were identified, including amino acids, carbohydrates and their conjugates, nucleic acids, carbonyl compounds and others. The results of this study provide data to clarify the differences between UT and FW, and lay a foundation for the application of ultrasound-assisted thawing in the meat industry.

Effect of hazelnut skin by-product supplementation in lambs' diets: Implications on plasma and muscle proteomes and first insights on the underlying mechanisms

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hazelnut skin by-product supplementation on lamb meat quality characteristics and plasma and muscle proteomes. Twenty-two Valle del Belice male lambs were divided into two experimental groups: control (C), fed a maize-barley diet and hazelnut (H), fed hazelnut skin by-product as maize partial replacer in the concentrate diet. The meat of lambs fed hazelnut skin showed greater values of lightness, redness, yellowness, and chroma color parameters together with the highest myofibril fragmentation index. Two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry applied on plasma proteome identified 20 protein spots corresponding to 18 unique gene names to be differently expressed due to hazelnut skin by-product substitution. For the early post-mortem muscle, 23 protein spots (42 unique gene names) were significantly up-regulated due to hazelnut skin by-product supplementation. Four proteins these being APOA1, PHB, ACTG1 and ALB, were found to be common to the two proteomes suggesting that these proteins could be candidate biomarkers to monitor in vita and post-mortem lamb meat quality traits. This study evidenced the main mechanisms involved in the supplementation of hazelnut skin by-product in lambs' diet and confirmed the possibility of using plasma proteome as a non-invasive way to predict lamb meat quality. SignificanceMaximizing the use of agro-industrial by-products as replacers of traditional feedstuff for improving animal products is one of the important challenges to preserving natural resources and guaranteeing environmental sustainability. Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) skin, obtained as a results of hazelnut roasting, represents a valuable by-products due to its high content in unsaturated fatty acids, tannins, and vitamins. Thus, including hazelnut skin by-product in small ruminant nutrition could reduce the costs of animal feedings for farmers as well as improve meat nutritional and sensorial characteristics. Additionally, monitoring the meat quality characteristics with fast, accurate, and non-invasive tools to find, before slaughter, animals with desired quality characteristics is of growing interest in the last years. In this regard, the objectives of this study were to assess i) the effect of hazelnut skin supplementation on lamb meat quality characteristics and plasma and muscle proteomes, and ii) whether analyzing plasma proteome by using a gel-based proteomic approach could effectively offer a more readily available option for determining lamb meat quality. Taken together, the proteomic approach applied to plasma and muscle proteomes, allowed us to reveal the pathways and the potential candidate plasma biomarkers to predict lamb meat production in the pre-slaughter phase.

Carcass traits and meat quality of lambs slaughtered during different seasonal conditions.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of slaughtering feedlot Texel lambs during different climatic conditions on carcass and meat quality traits. Twenty castrated male Texel lambs (21.8 ± 0.62kg) were distributed to two treatments according to the climatic conditions during the finishing period and at pre-slaughter: warm season (WS; mean temperature of 23.4°C and 77.5% relative humidity) and cool season (CS; mean temperature of 14.9°C and 79.5% relative humidity). During the pre-slaughter, thermal comfort was evaluated through the variables: respiratory frequency, rectal temperature, temperature of the ocular region, and temperature-humidity index (THI). After the finishing period, lambs were slaughtered, and carcass and meat quality traits were assessed. The THI values indicate that animals harvested in the WS spent 13h of the day under potential thermal discomfort conditions in the week before slaughter and in the pre-slaughter period, whereas lambs harvested in the CS did not experience any thermal discomfort. Slaughter weight, carcass weight, carcass dressing, and backfat thickness were greater (P ≤ 0.03), whereas cooling losses were lower (P < 0.01) for lambs slaughtered in the CS. Moreover, thawing losses were lower (P < 0.01), whereas cooking losses were greater (P < 0.01) for lambs harvested in the CS. Lambs slaughtered in the CS also showed greater meat redness, yellowness, and chroma values (P < 0.05). Although carcass traits were affected by the greater thermal discomfort exposure, meat quality of lambs was less impacted by the climatic conditions at slaughter.

Meat production, quality, and oxidative shelf-life of Haemonchus-parasitised and non-parasitised lambs fed incremental levels of sericea lespedeza substituted for lucerne

The study evaluated the effects of feeding incremental levels of sericea lespedeza (SL; 0, 62.5, 125, 187.5 and 250 g/kg diet) substituted for lucerne on meat production, quality, and oxidative shelf-life of feedlot lambs infected or non-infected with Haemonchus contortus. There were no diet × infection status, and diet × retail display period effects for all the tested parameters (P > 0.05). Relative to the other diets, the 250 g/kg SL diet decreased (P ≤ 0.05) lamb growth performance and carcass yield. The SL diets experienced less (P ≤ 0.05) meat lipid oxidation than the control diet. Worm infection reduced (P ≤ 0.05) carcass yield and income-over-feed-costs without affecting meat quality (P > 0.05). Feeding SL had no effects on meat physicochemical, fatty acid, colour, and protein shelf-life profiles (P > 0.05). Overall, substituting lucerne with SL up to 187.5 g/kg in lamb feedlot diets has no effects on meat production and quality but enhances lipid stability regardless of infection.

Transcriptome analysis reveals the molecular regulatory network of muscle development and meat quality in Sunit lamb supplemented with dietary probiotic

Supplementing animal feed with probiotic additives can promote muscle production and improve meat quality. The study aimed to explore the effects of dietary probiotics supplementation on the performance, meat quality and muscle transcriptome profile in Sunit lamb. Overall, feeding probiotics significantly increased the body length, LT area, pH24h and intramuscular fat (IMF) content, but decreased cooking loss and meat shear force compared to the control group (P < .05). A total of 651 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found in probiotic supplemented lambs. Pathway analysis revealed that DEGs were involved in multiple pathways related to muscle development and fat deposition, such as the ECM-receptor interactions, the MAPK signaling pathway and the FoxO signaling pathway. Therefore, dietary probiotic supplementation can improve muscle development and final meat quality in Sunit lambs by altering gene expression profiles associated with key pathways, providing unique insights into the molecular mechanisms by which dietary probiotics regulate muscle development in the lamb industry.

Effects of maternal dietary fatty acids during mid-gestation on growth, glucose metabolism, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of lamb progeny that were fed differing levels of dry matter of intake

This experiment evaluated growth, glucose metabolism, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of market lambs that were offered ad libitum or restricted (85% of ad libitum) feed intake following two different maternal fatty acid (FA) supplementations while in-utero. Ewes received either a diet supplemented with polyunsaturated FA or saturated/monounsaturated FA during mid- to late-gestation. Following weaning, progeny wethers were fed either ad libitum or a restricted level of feed intake. Ewe FA supplementation did not affect (P ≥ 0.11) growth, meat quality, nor plasma glucose or insulin concentrations of the progeny. Carcass body fat and yield grade of the progeny were affected (P = 0.01) by maternal FA supplementation and restricted feed intake. In summary, maternal FA supplementation did not affect progeny growth, while feed restriction during finishing did not affect meat quality. The interaction between maternal FA supplementation and finishing strategy for body fat accretion indicates that metabolism and the supply of FA during gestation may warrant further investigation.

Different dietary sources of selenium alter meat quality, shelf life, selenium deposition, and antioxidant status in Hu lambs

Thirty-two male Hu lambs (32.31 ± 3.31 kg; 4-months-old) were randomly assigned to four treatments: (1) control (CON), (2) selenium-enriched yeast (SeY, 0.8 mg/kg), (3) selenized glucose (SeGlu, 0.8 mg/kg), and (4) sodium selenite (SS, 0.8 mg/kg) to evaluate their effects on Hu lamb production and slaughter performance, antioxidant capacity, hematological parameters, meat quality and shelf-life. The production and slaughter performances were not different (P > 0.05) among treatments. SeGlu and SeY increased (P < 0.05) the total antioxidant capacity in serum and muscle selenium content while decreasing (P < 0.05) the malondialdehyde (MDA) contents both in serum and muscle. SeGlu extended muscle shelf-life by 7.7 h compared with CON and decreased (P < 0.05) yellowness (b*) and lightness (L*) in meat stored for 24 h. In summary, the effects of SeGlu were similar to those of SeY and better than those of SS in improving serum and muscle antioxidant status, prolonging muscle shelf-life, and increasing selenium deposition in muscle.

Tissue composition and meat quality of lambs fed diets containing whole-plant sesame silage as a replacement for whole-plant corn silage

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the replacement of whole-plant corn silage (WPCS) by whole-plant sesame silage (WPSS) in diets of lambs on leg tissue composition, physicochemical properties, and fatty acids profile of the meat. Forty castrated Santa Inês crossbred lambs presenting an average initial body weight (iBW) of 21.8 ± 1.97 kg were distributed in a randomized block design with four treatments [four replacement levels: (control (no sesame), 333, 670, and 1000 g/kg of DM)] in ten replications. No effect (P > 0.05) of replacing WPCS with WPSS was observed on DM intake, final weight at slaughter, weight gain, leg weight, the proportion of muscle (M), bone (B), fat (F), and other tissues, muscularity, M:B ratio, M:F ratio, protein content, ash, pH, water holding capacity, cooking losses, shear force, color parameters (L*, a*, b*, C* and H*), ƩPUFA, ƩMUFA:ƩSFA ratio, Ʃn-6:Ʃn-3 ratio, h:H, atherogenicity index (AI) and on the activity of enzymes Δ9-desaturase C18 and elongase. WPSS promoted quadratic increase (P < 0.05) in the moisture content and quadratic increase trend in C4:0 (P = 0.08). The inclusion of WPSS caused linear increases (P < 0.05) in the concentrations of C18:1 n-11trans, C18:2 c9trans-11 (CLA), ƩMUFAtrans, and ƩPUFA:ƩSFA ratio, and linear increase trend in C18:2 trans10c12 (P = 0.06) and C18:3 n-3 (P = 0.08). It was observed a linear decrease (P < 0.05) in the contents of C16:0, total FA, ƩSFA, ƩMUFA, ƩMUFAcis, and desirable FA, and a linearly decreasing trend in the thrombogenicity index (TI; P = 0.07). Ʃn-6 presented quadratic reduction (P = 0.03), while Ʃn-3 (P = 0.07) and Δ9-desaturase C16 enzyme activity (P = 0.06) tended toward quadratic reduction. WPSS can fully replace WPCS as it does not compromise performance, tissue composition, and meat physicochemical parameters, and improves the quality of meat fat as it reduces ƩSFA and TI and increases CLA content and PUFA:SFA ratio.

Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Azadirachta indica and Moringa oleifera Leaf Extracts on the Carcass Quality and Fatty Acid Composition of Lambs Fed High Forage Total Mixed Rations.

Simple SummaryFeed additives based on medicinal plants, such as neem and moringa plant extracts, are used to mitigate rumen methane emissions, but data regarding their effects on lamb meat quality are scarce. This study investigated the effects of oral supplementation of neem and moringa leaf extracts on the carcass quality and meat fatty acid composition of lambs. Neem leaf extracts had no effect on carcass fat and meat fatty acid composition. Whereas, Moringa leaf extract improved the meat fatty acid composition of lambs compared to the monensin treatment. There is an increased interest in the use of medicinal plants as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters and as agents for methane production mitigation. This study investigated the effects of Azadirachta indica and Moringa oleifera feed additives on the carcass and meat quality of lambs. Forty South African Mutton Merino lambs, weighing between 29 and 43 kg, were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (n = 10 lambs/treatment) and fed a basal total mixed ration (TMR) containing soybean meal (17%), yellow maize (28%), Alfalfa hay (20%), Eragrostis curvula hay (22.2%), molasses (6.0%), wheat offal (5%), urea (0.8%) and vitamin premix (0.5%) on a DM basis. The dietary treatments: TMR diet (control); TMR diet with A. indica leaf extract (A. indica leaf extract at a dosage of 50 mg per kg of feed: neem); TMR diet with M. oleifera leaf extract (M. oleifera leaf extract at a dosage of 50 mg per kg DM of feed: moringa); TMR diet with monensin (at a dosage of 50 mg monensin sodium per kg of feed: positive control). After an adaptation period of 10 days to the experimental conditions, the lambs from all treatment groups were fed ad libitum with the experimental diets. The lambs were slaughtered at a live weight of 60–65 kg after a 23 week trial period. The plant extract dietary additives had no significant effects on the carcass characteristics of the lambs. In comparison to monensin, supplementing with moringa leaf extracts resulted in a higher proportion of C18:1n9c (45.0% ± 0.57 vs. 40.5% ± 0.80; p < 0.05), total MUFAs (47.3% ± 0.66 vs. 42.6% ± 0.87; p < 0.05), and UFA:SFA ratio (1.01 ± 0.03 vs. 0.85 ± 0.03; p < 0.05), which may be beneficial for human health. Our results suggest that natural feed additives, such as A. indica and M. oleifera leaf extracts, can be included in lamb diets without compromising meat fatty acid composition. The negative economic impacts of such technologies on animal production and farm profitability should not be expected.

The effect of supplemented chestnut tannin to grass silage either at ensiling or at feeding on lamb performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality

This study was designed to investigate the effect of supplemented chestnut hydrolysable tannin (HT) both at ensiling and at feeding on lamb growth, carcass characteristic, and meat quality. Twenty tons of ryegrass (Lolium perenne) were used to produce silage. The ryegrass was treated at ensiling with one of three additives: 30 g kg-1 DM chestnut HT (GET), an inoculant as a positive control (GI), or water as a negative control (G). Another two treatments were made from ensiled grass by adding the 30 g kg-1 DM of chestnut HT to either positive (GI+T) or negative (GT) control. Forty Suffolk cross Mule lambs were used in this experiment and allocated to receive one of five experimental forage treatments with eight lambs per treatment. The diet consisted of two parts: concentrate and silage. Lambs were fed 215 g DM day-1 lamb of concentrate diet and ad libitum grass silage for seven weeks and then slaughtered. Back fat thickness tended to be lower (p= 0.07) for lambs fed the GT and GI+T treatments compared to lambs in the other experimental groups’ (10.0, 10.1, 9.8, 10.0, and 9.8 mm for GET, G, GT, GI, and GI+T, respectively). Feeding lambs GET tended to reduce (p= 0.06) meat lightness (L*) compared to the other treatments. Ammonia nitrogen concentration in rumen fluid was reduced significantly (p&lt; 0.05) when lambs consumed diets treated with tannin both at ensiling and at feeding (0.14, 0.19, 0.17, 0.17 and 0.14g l-1 GET G, GT, GI, and GI+T, respectively). The experimental treatments had no effect (p&gt; 0.05) on voluntary feed intake (914, 916, 899, 928, or 914 g day-1 for GET, G, GT, GI, and GI+T, respectively) or lamb performance.