Meat physicochemical, shelf life, fatty acids and sensory attributes of South African feedlot lamb breeds subjected to varying water restriction levels

The study compared the meat quality of four-month-old ram lambs from four sheep breeds: Damara, Pedi, Meatmaster and Dohne Merino subjected to water restriction (WR) levels of 0 (control, normal water intake), 10% (90% water intake) or 20% (80% water intake) [n=8 per treatment] for 42 days. After slaughter, the longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscles were removed for the evaluation of meat quality attributes. The interaction of breed and WR did not influence ( P >0.05) most of the investigated parameters. However, WR treatments resulted in lower ( P ≤0.05) carcass temperature at 45 min and reduced contents of C15:0, C17:0, C19:1 cis(c) 7, C18:1 trans (t) 10/ t 11, total t -MUFA and t otal n 6 PUFA relative to the control. Meatmaster and Dohne Merino meat exhibited higher ( P ≤0.05) intramuscular fat content of C22:5 n 3, C22:6 n 3 and total n 3 PUFA, scores for metallic aroma and sustained juiciness than Damara meat. Dohne Merino had higher ( P ≤0.05) C18:1 t 10/ t 11and t -MUFA con t ents than Meatmaster and Damara. Meatmaster achieved higher ( P ≤0.05) ratings for meat and fat flavor than the Pedi breed. Nonetheless, Meatmaster meat had higher ( P ≤0.05) drip loss, and along with Damara had slightly darker ( P ≤0.05) and less tender ( P ≤0.05) meat than Dohne Merino and Pedi. In conclusion, 20% WR and the use of productive water-efficient sheep breeds such as Meatmaster offer sustainable strategies for conserving water while maintaining meat quality in feedlots experiencing water scarcity. • Water restriction reduced C18:1 t 10/11, total t -MUFA and total n 6 PUFA • Pedi lambs had low intramuscular fat than Dohne Merino and Meatmaster lambs • Damara and Meatmaster had slightly darker and less tender meat than the other breeds • Meatmaster produced more desirable lamb meat and fat flavors than Pedi • n 3 PUFA and juiciness were higher for Dohne Merino and Meatmaster than Damara