Effect of different rearing system on sensory characteristics of meat in Massese lamb

Meat of lamb has specific flavour and taste, distinct from other popular red meats. The traditional Massese lamb is a suckling lamb and, in this study, they are reared up to two months of age and fed by supplement in order to increase meat production. The feeding system could affect the sensory properties of lamb meat: pasture and associated flavours may be unfamiliar to consumers of meat respect to meat produced from lamb fed with concentrate. Historically, Massese sheep farmers in mountainous environment used different farming systems based on changes in resources availability during the year and on their seasonality. In this research, Massese lambs were reared using two different farming systems: stall (S) including concentrate and hay as supplementary fed, and pasture (P) that includes only pasture as supplementary fed. The sensory proprieties of roasted unsalted Longissimus dorsi samples were evaluated by a team of 11 trained panellists who did not receive any information regarding the lambs. For each sample, the panellist was asked to evaluate in a continuous scale from 1 to 10 the following parameters: tenderness, juiciness, flavour, taste and overall preference. Data were analysed by GLM of SAS using feeding system, panellist and trial day as discrete effects. The farming system affected meat colour: meat of S lambs is brighter (51.4 vs. 32.1 for S and P groups respectively; p<.001) and has a less intense colour (33.6 vs. 45.4; p<.001). The taste does not show undesirable aroma except for a slightly metallic sense in both meat types. The characteristic lamb flavour is not very intense while the characteristic lamb taste is greater in S group (33.2 vs. 27.4; p<.05). Effectively, the S lambs showed a greater amount of intramuscular fat that affected the aroma component of meat. The meat of both groups has similar tenderness, juiciness and acceptance level. The results of the present study underline that both groups obtained a high level of liking and acceptance.