Effect of Plane of Nutrition on Carcass Composition and the Palatability of Pasture - Fed Lamb

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Abstract
Two trials were undertaken, each with 72 grazing lambs. In trial 1, the lambs were Romney wethers and ewes with an average live weight of 27 kg and a mean initial age of 91 days. In trial 2, lambs were Southdown ✕ Romney wethers and ewes that weighed 32 kg and had a mean initial age of 118 days. The animals were given either ad libitum or restricted postweaning access to pasture over a 6-week period, which was aimed at producing weight gain, weight maintenance or weight loss. In trials 1 and 2, respectively, the live weight changes in the gain groups were 5.6 and 6.6 kg; in the maintenance groups, the changes were 1.7 and 2.4 kg, and in the loss groups, they were —.5 and —1.5 kilograms. The gain groups lost more weight (P<.01) during transport and holding before slaughter than did the loss groups. The nutritional treatments resulted in differences in carcass composition; the carcasses from the gain group were heaviest and fattest (P<.01). However, the nutritional treatments apparently had no additional effect on carcass composition other than that normally associated with carcass weight. In the first trial, shear force values were higher (P<.01) for the loss group than for the gain group, and in both trials, the loss group had a lower (P<.01, P<.05, respectively) flavor score than the other groups. However, differences in palatability due to the fairly severe 6-week grazing treatments were small and considered to be of minor significance compared with the more important differences in carcass weight and composition. Copyright © 1981. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1981 by American Society of Animal Science.

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