Physico-chemical characteristics of meat after dietary supplementation of lambs with essential oils and calcium malate

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a mixture of essential oils (EO), calcium malate (CM), or their combination (EO +  CM) on the physico-chemical characteristics of lamb meat. A total of 36, two-month-old, 20 ± 3 kg live weight, male lambs were allocated  to individual cages and randomly distributed into four treatment groups: 1, basal diet (BD); 2, BD + 150 g of EO ton-1 ; 3, BD + 2.5 kg of  CM ton-1 ; and 4: BD + 150 g EO + 2.5 kg CM ton-1 . Feed and fresh water were available ad libitum to the lambs during the 56-day  experiment. There was no difference in the chemical composition of the lamb meat although collagen was higher in the EO + CM  treatment. The percentage of omega-3 and eicosapentaenoic acid was higher in the OE + CM group, but there were no differences in the  total percentage of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids. The shear strength of raw meat was higher in the BD group, but the shear  strength of cooked meat was lower in the EO group than in the BD or CM groups. There was no difference in water retention in raw meat  or in water loss in cooked meat between groups. The colour of the meat was not affected by treatment. The EO and EO + CM groups had  an increase in meat tenderness and the concentration of some unsaturated fatty acids, but this did not affect the colour or chemical  composition of the lamb meat.