Quality characteristics of the Musculus longissimus dorsi from Pecora dell’Amiata reared in Tuscany.

The trial was performed with ewes and lambs deriving from the local breed Pecora dell’Amiata. In this work, the Musculus longissimus dorsi (M. longissimus thoracis + lomborum) physical-chemical and nutritional characteristics of 23 ewes and 20 lambs were compared. The ewes of the trial were over 7 years old while the lambs were on average 80 days old. Ewe meat has shown lower drip loss (4.14 vs 2.71%) and lightness (L* 38.6 vs 45.3) values, and higher PH (6.15±0.07), shear force (8.4 vs 2.31 kg), fat content (5.9 vs 2.0%). The lamb meat lipids had higher Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) content (14.58 vs 9.25%) and higher PUFA/Saturated Fatty Acids (SFA) ratio (0.31 vs 0.20). The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified two distinct groups regarding ewe and lamb meat respectively for the fatty acids composition and the health indices. Ewe meat showed dietetic and nutritional characteristics similar to that of lamb meat. These characteristics may allow in the future, to the ewe meat valorisation, now not appreciated by Tuscan and Italian market.