Welfare and meat quality of lambs

Abstract

Recently, in many parts of the world, greater importance has been given to lamb meat as well as to the intensive production of lamb and sheep, due to demand for this type of meat at affordable prices. In Serbia, similar to most European countries, the structure of total sheep meat production comprises about 70% lamb meat and 30% sheep meat. This study assessed resource-based measures on 11 dairy sheep farms and investigated, in a total of 30 lambs, the effects of sex, the presence of bruises and pneumonia in carcasses, and carcass and meat quality. Carcass (carcass length, thigh length, croup width, subcutaneous fat thickness, presence of bruises) and meat quality (pH, temperature, drip, thawing and cooking losses, color, and meat quality classes) traits were measured post mortem. The most common deficiencies on farms were high stocking density, poor hygienic conditions, dirty drinkers, and lack of outdoor access. Regarding sex differences, higher prevalences of carcass bruises and severe pneumonia were recorded in male lambs. Meat pH (pH45min), sensory color score, and prevalence of dark, firm and dry (DFD) meat were higher in lambs with carcass bruises. The occurrence of quality defects (DFD meat) was higher in lambs with severe pneumonia. It can be concluded that it is necessary to improve the welfare conditions on the lamb farms and pre-slaughter conditions in order to achieve better lamb meat quality.

U mnogim delovima sveta, sve više se daje na značaju jagnjećem mesu kao i intenzivnom načinu gajenja jagnjadi i ovaca, usled velike potražnje za jagnjadima po povoljnim cenama. U Srbiji, kao i u najvećem broju zemalja Evrope, akcenat je stavljan na jagnjeće meso, pri čemu u strukturi ukupne proizvodnje ovčijeg mesa oko 70% čini zaklana jagnjad, a ostatak ovce i ovnovi. U ovom istraživanju, ispitani su uslovi dobrobiti na 11 farmi ovaca na osnovu indirektnih pokazatelja, kao i uticaj pola, prisustva modrica i pneumonije na kvalitet trupa i mesa 30 jagnjadi. Postmortem su određivani pokazatelji kvaliteta trupa (dužina trupa, dužina buta, širina sapi, prekrivenost trupa masnim tkivom, prisustvo pneumonija, konformacija i prisustvo modrica) i mesa tovnih jagnjadi (pH, temperatura, sposobnost vezivanja vode mesa, boja mesa, klase kvaliteta mesa). Najčešći nedostaci na ispitivanim farmama su velika gustina naseljenosti, loši higijenski uslovi, prljave pojilice, kao i nedostatak ispusta. Kod muške jagnjadi utvrđen je veći procenat modrica na trupu i patoloških promena na plućima, u odnosu na žensku jagnjad. Kod jagnjadi sa modricama na trupu utvrđena je viša pH (pH45min) vrednost mesa i senzorna ocena za boju mesa, kao i veća učestalost tamnog, suvog i čvrstog (TČS) mesa. Učestalost TČS mesa bila je veća kod jagnjadi sa teškom pneumonijom. Na osnovu rezultata može se zaključiti da je neophodno poboljšati uslove dobrobiti jagnjadi na farmi i tokom postupanja sa jagnjadima pre klanja, kako bi se dobilo meso boljeg kvaliteta.