Meat texture of lambs from different European production systems

Measurements of meat texture (Warner-Bratzler shear force, WBSF), compression stress at 20% (S20) and 80% (S80) of initial sample thickness, sarcomere length, pH, and sensory tenderness score were determined on the longissimus muscle from lambs from 22 diverse European lamb types from 6 countries. Carcasses were chilled to minimise cold shortening. The types ranged from 1-month-old milk-fed lambs to 1-year-old heavy wether lambs reared on the transhumance system (extensive system based on moving animals from valleys to high mountains in search of seasonal resources). Overall, it seems that breed was more important in influencing meat toughness than age or gender. Within breed, there was some evidence of an age effect (the older the animal the tougher the meat), and nutritional handling was, in some cases, significant. The lowest WBSF values were for meat from 16-kg carcasses of pasture-fed animals of the Icelandic breed (average 1.7 kg) and the highest were for meat from 19-20 kg carcasses of the Bergamasca breed (average 4.1 kg). The two youngest types had the highest values for S20 (10.5 and 11.8 N/cm²), the compression value related to myofibrillar component. There was a very good agreement between panels from the different countries in the ranking of tenderness; meat from the Icelandic breed was the most tender and that from the Bergamasca breed the least, in concurrence with the WBSF results, with a significant relationship between tenderness and WBSF values in all the lamb types studied.