Eating Quality Assessment - Lamb
Project start date: | 01 February 2011 |
Project end date: | 30 April 2011 |
Publication date: | 01 September 2014 |
Project status: | Completed |
Livestock species: | Lamb |
Relevant regions: | National |
Download Report
(1 MB)
|
Summary
The impact of selecting for lean meat yield using breeding values for increased eye muscle depth (PEMD) and decreased fat depth (PFAT) on the consumer acceptance of lamb meat was evaluated. Consumer sensory scores (tenderness, juiciness, flavour, odour, overall liking) were obtained for the longissimus lumborum (loin) and semimembranosus (topside) muscle of 1471 lambs. On average loin samples were more acceptable for consumers. Sensory scores increased with higher IMF levels, with lower shear force levels, and when animals were younger and less muscular. Increasing PEMD decreased tenderness, overall liking and flavour scores in both muscles, and decreasing PFAT reduced tenderness within the loin samples only. This negative impact of PEMD and PFAT is not solely driven through the phenotypic impact of IMF and shear force on sensory scores. Our results confirm the growing concerns that selecting for lean meat yield would reduce consumer eating quality, and highlights that careful monitoring of selection programs is needed to maintain lamb eating quality.
More information
Project manager: | Alex Ball |
Primary researcher: | Sheep CRC Ltd |