Effects of dietary supplementation of vitamin E on storage and caselife properties of lamb retail cuts

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Abstract
Thirty wether lambs were randomly assigned to three treatments consisting of a control (C) and two vitamin E-supplemented treatments (VE), one fed 500 IU of vitamin E•lamb−1•d−1 (E500) and the other fed 1,000 IU of vitamin E·lamb−1·d−1 (E1000). After a 56-d feeding period, lambs were slaughtered and carcass traits were evaluated. Wholesale legs and loins were vacuum-packaged, stored at 4°C for 7, 14, 21, or 28 d, fabricated into retail cuts, and packaged and displayed to simulate retail industry conditions. The E1000 lambs gained less (P < .05) (kg/d; total gain) and had lower (P < .05) carcass weights than the E500 lambs. Alpha-tocopherol levels in the longissimus lumborum were higher (P < .05) (5.79 vs 3.50 µg/g of tissue) for VE than for C; however, there was no difference in alpha-tocopherol level in longissimus lumborum between E500 and E1000. Leg retail cuts experienced greater (P < .05) lipid oxidation and received lower (P < .05) lean color scores than did loin retail cuts. Less (P < .05) lipid oxidation occurred from 1 to 7 d of display in VE retail cuts than in C retail cuts. Longer storage periods before retail display resulted in greater (P < .05) lipid oxidation at both 1 and 7 d of display and a higher (P < .05) rate of lipid oxidation during the display period. Supplementing vitamin E had the greatest effect in reducing lipid oxidation when cuts were stored for longer periods before retail display. Subjective scores for lean color and overall appearance were more (P < .05) desirable for VE cuts than for C cuts at all retail display periods. Lean discoloration scores and fat color scores for VE and C cuts were not different at 0 d of display but were more (P < .05) desirable for VE cuts during subsequent display. Supplementing vitamin E extended the caselife of lamb approximately 4 d; supplementing with 1,000 IU did little to improve storage/caselife attributes of lamb cuts beyond that achieved by supplementing 500 IU/d.

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