title: Effects of finishing period length with vitamin E supplementation and alfalfa grazing on carcass color and the evolution of meat color and the lipid oxidation of light lambs.
abstract: Indoor-kept concentrate-fed light lambs (n=54) were supplemented with 500 mg of dl-α-tocopheryl acetate/kg concentrate for 0, 10, 20 and 30 d before slaughtering at 22-24 kg BW. Simultaneously, 8 lambs with their dams were alfalfa-grazed and the lambs were slaughtered at the same weight. The age at slaughter and carcass characteristics were more affected by grazing than by supplementation with α-tocopherol. The grazing lambs had similar α-tocopherol levels to the lambs fed concentrate with dl-α-tocopheryl acetate for 10 days before slaughter. The length of the feeding period affected the evolution of the color, delaying the blooming and discoloration of the meat. Feeding lambs α-tocopherol enriched concentrate during the last 10 days of life or grazing them on alfalfa drastically diminished the lipid oxidation of the meat. Alfalfa grazing is a feasible alternative to increase light lamb meat shelf life without using additives.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón, Avda. Montañana, 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain. gripoll@aragon.es
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ripoll
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: González-Calvo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Molino
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003116:Color; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D000455:Medicago sativa; D012756:Sheep; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol