Combining sheep and beef cattle in a pasture-based system minorly influenced muscle and fat colour and dorsal fat firmness but increased fat skatole content in lambs
A recent long-term system-level experiment, using grassland-based organic systems established as separate farmlets, showed that combining sheep and beef cattle within a mixed (MIX) system promoted self-sufficient production of grass-fed meat and improved economic and environmental performance in the...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Animal |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731123002963 |
| _version_ | 1797672793299484672 |
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| author | Sophie Prache Karine Vazeille Priscilla Note Armelle Prunier |
| author_facet | Sophie Prache Karine Vazeille Priscilla Note Armelle Prunier |
| author_sort | Sophie Prache |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A recent long-term system-level experiment, using grassland-based organic systems established as separate farmlets, showed that combining sheep and beef cattle within a mixed (MIX) system promoted self-sufficient production of grass-fed meat and improved economic and environmental performance in the sheep enterprise compared to a sheep-only (SH) system. In the present study, we used all male lambs produced over the first year in this experiment to evaluate the effect of this farming practice on some lamb carcass and meat sensory quality traits. Lambing took place at the end of February and lambs were pasture-fed from 1 month of age on average until slaughter, unless they were not ready for slaughter at 3–4 weeks before the start of the mating period in October, in which case they were finished indoors on a concentrate-based diet. All MIX lambs (n = 33) were finished at pasture. One SH lamb (out of a total of 85) had to be finished indoors with a concentrate-based diet. MIX lambs had a higher growth rate than SH lambs (P < 0.001), resulting in a lower lamb age at slaughter in MIX than in SH (150 vs 173 days, P < 0.001). Carcass weight and degree of fatness, kidney fat weight and dorsal fat thickness did not differ between systems. Kidney fat skatole concentration was higher in MIX than in SH (median value reaching 0.15 µg/g liquid fat and 0.11 µg/g liquid fat in MIX and SH, respectively, P < 0.05). This was most likely due to MIX lambs being slaughtered at a younger age and therefore eating younger grass. There were minor differences between MIX and SH lambs in dorsal fat firmness and in colour coordinates of longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle. We conclude that while combining sheep and beef cattle within a mixed system offers advantages in terms of self-sufficient production of grass-fed meat and system economic and environmental performance, it could come at a cost to lamb flavour. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:35:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f70bd8c29e854419ad67341b7854a09b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1751-7311 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:35:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal |
| spelling | doaj.art-f70bd8c29e854419ad67341b7854a09b2023-09-27T04:42:12ZengElsevierAnimal1751-73112023-10-011710100979Combining sheep and beef cattle in a pasture-based system minorly influenced muscle and fat colour and dorsal fat firmness but increased fat skatole content in lambsSophie Prache0Karine Vazeille1Priscilla Note2Armelle Prunier3Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, Vetagro Sup, UMR Herbivores, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France; Corresponding author.Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, HERBIPOLE, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, FranceUniversité Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, HERBIPOLE, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, FrancePEGASE, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35590 St-Gilles, FranceA recent long-term system-level experiment, using grassland-based organic systems established as separate farmlets, showed that combining sheep and beef cattle within a mixed (MIX) system promoted self-sufficient production of grass-fed meat and improved economic and environmental performance in the sheep enterprise compared to a sheep-only (SH) system. In the present study, we used all male lambs produced over the first year in this experiment to evaluate the effect of this farming practice on some lamb carcass and meat sensory quality traits. Lambing took place at the end of February and lambs were pasture-fed from 1 month of age on average until slaughter, unless they were not ready for slaughter at 3–4 weeks before the start of the mating period in October, in which case they were finished indoors on a concentrate-based diet. All MIX lambs (n = 33) were finished at pasture. One SH lamb (out of a total of 85) had to be finished indoors with a concentrate-based diet. MIX lambs had a higher growth rate than SH lambs (P < 0.001), resulting in a lower lamb age at slaughter in MIX than in SH (150 vs 173 days, P < 0.001). Carcass weight and degree of fatness, kidney fat weight and dorsal fat thickness did not differ between systems. Kidney fat skatole concentration was higher in MIX than in SH (median value reaching 0.15 µg/g liquid fat and 0.11 µg/g liquid fat in MIX and SH, respectively, P < 0.05). This was most likely due to MIX lambs being slaughtered at a younger age and therefore eating younger grass. There were minor differences between MIX and SH lambs in dorsal fat firmness and in colour coordinates of longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle. We conclude that while combining sheep and beef cattle within a mixed system offers advantages in terms of self-sufficient production of grass-fed meat and system economic and environmental performance, it could come at a cost to lamb flavour.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731123002963FlavourGrass-fed meatMeat qualityMixed systemOrganic |
| spellingShingle | Sophie Prache Karine Vazeille Priscilla Note Armelle Prunier Combining sheep and beef cattle in a pasture-based system minorly influenced muscle and fat colour and dorsal fat firmness but increased fat skatole content in lambs Animal Flavour Grass-fed meat Meat quality Mixed system Organic |
| title | Combining sheep and beef cattle in a pasture-based system minorly influenced muscle and fat colour and dorsal fat firmness but increased fat skatole content in lambs |
| title_full | Combining sheep and beef cattle in a pasture-based system minorly influenced muscle and fat colour and dorsal fat firmness but increased fat skatole content in lambs |
| title_fullStr | Combining sheep and beef cattle in a pasture-based system minorly influenced muscle and fat colour and dorsal fat firmness but increased fat skatole content in lambs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combining sheep and beef cattle in a pasture-based system minorly influenced muscle and fat colour and dorsal fat firmness but increased fat skatole content in lambs |
| title_short | Combining sheep and beef cattle in a pasture-based system minorly influenced muscle and fat colour and dorsal fat firmness but increased fat skatole content in lambs |
| title_sort | combining sheep and beef cattle in a pasture based system minorly influenced muscle and fat colour and dorsal fat firmness but increased fat skatole content in lambs |
| topic | Flavour Grass-fed meat Meat quality Mixed system Organic |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731123002963 |
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