COMPARISON OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION AND MEAT QUALITY TRAITS IN DIVERSE COMMERCIAL LAMB TYPES¹

Abstract

ABSTRACT Twenty‐two groups of lambs representative of local production were selected from six European countries. Considerable differences were observed between lamb types in the chemical composition (pigment, total lipids, collagen) and the textural traits (instrumental) of the meat in the M. longissimus muscle. Collagen heat solubility also differed among lamb types (range 21 to 50%) and showed a close relationship with animal age (r =−0.67; P < 0.001). Cooked meat toughness ranged from 1.6 to 4.1 kg. cm −2 peak shear stress value. The toughest lamb types included the oldest lambs (age 12 months) and three types of milk fed lamb that were among the four youngest types studied (age < 2.5 months). The data showed that the occurrence of tough lamb was associated with the combination of at least two of the following muscle characteristics: high myofibrillar strength or low extent of postmortem tenderization, high ultimate pH value, high collagen content and short sarcomeres. No evidence was found, however, that meat toughness was related to muscte lipid content or collagen heat stability.