title: Influence of stall finishing duration of Italian Merino lambs raised on pasture on intramuscular fatty acid composition.
abstract: Forty male Italian Merino lambs were used to study the effects of four feeding systems on muscle fatty acids composition: S group-ten lambs were kept indoors, and fed with concentrate for all experimental period (89 days); P group-ten lambs were allowed to graze a pasture for all experimental period; PS37 group-ten lambs were allowed to graze a pasture for 52 days and shifted indoor, fed with concentrate, 37 days before slaughtered; PS14 group, where 10 lambs were fed on pasture for 75 days and shifted indoor, fed with concentrate, 14 days before slaughtered. Grazing lowered the levels of C12:0, C14:0, C16:0 and n-6 PUFA and increased n-3 PUFA and CLA isomer compared to concentrate feeding. After a short period of indoor finishing with concentrate, the fatty acid characteristics of the meat retain a part of the benefits occurring from grazing, while a longer period seems to erase almost all the benefits from grazing.
authors.affiliation: University of Reggio Calabria, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-forestali e Ambientali, Reggio Calabria, Italy. manuel.scerra@unirc.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scerra
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luciano
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caparra
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Foti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cilione
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giorgi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scerra
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000032:analysis*; D044243:Linoleic Acids, Conjugated / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry*; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D044243:Linoleic Acids, Conjugated