Meat quality traits of male Herik lambs raised under an intensive fattening system

Authors : Mustafa UĞURLU, Bülent EKİZ, Bülent TEKE, Mustafa SALMAN, Filiz AKDAĞ, İsmail KAYA

Pages : 425-430

View : 24 | Download : 11

Publication Date : 0000-00-00

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :  The aim of the study was to determine certain meat quality traits of Herik lambs finished under the intensive husbandry conditions. Twenty single male lambs with an average final weight of 42 kg were used in the study. Concentrate feed and fresh water were given ad libitum, whereas 300 g of alfalfa per lamb per day was provided. At 24 h postmortem, the pH levels were 5.51, 5.63, and 5.24 for musculus longissimus dorsi, musculus semitendinosus, and musculus semimembranosus, respectively. The corresponding Warner-Bratzler shear force values insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(P < 0.001); of cooked meat were 3.359, 2.318, and 3.601 respectively. At 24 h postmortem, the L*insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(42.18); and a* insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(19.95); values of Herik lambs were near the acceptable values of L*insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(34-35); and a*insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(19.00);. At 72 h postmortem, cooking loss and water holding capacity were 34.78% and 10.55%, respectively. Chemical composition traits, namely dry matter insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(26.35%);, protein insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(22.21%);, ether extraction insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(2.98%);, and ash percentage insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(1.02%);, were similar to those of other indigenous breeds. Consequently, these results indicated that the meat of Herik lambs may be suitable for sale after the lambs are raised under an intensive fattening system.
Keywords : Heriks, lamb, pH, meat quality