Evaluating the Effects of Forage Quality on Sheep Productivity and Meat Quality
Abstract
In this study, grazing Dorset sheep were used as test subjects to see how a 5-month intense feeding program affected their meat's flavour, fatty acid content, and quality. The Dorset Sheep were separated evenly into 2 categories after being raised in a pasture structure for Five months: the pasture-based grazing fattening (PAS) group and the concentrate-included intense fattening (control) group for five more months. Every animal was slaughtered after the feeding stage to extract subcutaneous fatty tissue from the muscles longissimus dorsi for examination. The findings showed that sheep in the control group had live weight, hot body weight, and dressing percent that were considerably greater than those in the PAS group. Additionally, the control group showed noticeably greater redness (a*), lightness (L*), water-holding capacity levels, and noticeably lower Warner-Bratzler shear force principles, all of which indicated increased meat softness. This shows that the control group had more unsaturated fats, which helped create a healthy fatty acid mix. The smell was stronger in the control group because 4-methyloctanoic acid, 4-ethyloctanoic acid, and 4-methylnonanoic acid levels had risen by two to four times. The pasture-weaned concentrate-included intense feeding strategy resulted in greater meat-producing efficiency among the control group sheep, enhanced meat colour and appearance, and more nutritious fatty acid content. This method offers a viable alternate finishing regimen for lambs and has great promise for the Dorset Sheep meat market.
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