Comparison of six crossbred lamb types: sensory, physical and nutritional meat quality characteristics

The effect of crossbreeding on lamb meat quality was examined on the M. longissimus dorsi and M. semimembranosus of South African lamb breed combinations. The lambs were sired by Dormer (D) and Suffolk (S) rams and born to Merino (M), Dohne Merino (DM) and SA Mutton Merino (SAMM) ewes to give six breed combinations. Ratings of sensory attributes on the M. semimembranosus of the different lamb breed combinations were obtained from a trained descriptive panel. The moisture, total lipids, protein, ash, mineral content and fatty acid composition of the M. semimembranosus were also obtained. Physical parameters measured on the M. longissimus dorsi were: pH48, drip loss, cooking loss and Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBS). Breed did not have a significant effect (P>0.05) on the sensory quality of lamb, except for D×SAMM lambs which only showed a significantly higher (P⩽0.05) initial juiciness compared to S×M. However, breed had a significant effect on pH48, WBS, protein content and the fatty acid and mineral composition.