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Influence of Management and Nutrition on "Consumer-Preferred Lamb"^{1, 2,}

University of Illinois, Urbana^,4

Abstract

Because of present trends toward mass merchandizing of meats, it is increasingly important that lamb producers adjust production programs to provide consumers with the most desirable product possible.

It has been shown that carcass characteristics of lamb can be altered by changes in management and in nutrition. Fortunately for the sheep industry, lamb appears to have general consumer acceptance, if it is from young animals (3 to 8 or 10 months of age) which are killed at appropriate weights during their fast-growing period (under 75% of mature weight).

Reports indicate that (a) rather wide variations in gestating ewe treatment can occur without significant effect on the vigor and health of lambs produced; (b) early weaning, necessary under intensified systems of lamb production, can be accomplished without slowing growth; (c) intact ram lambs slaughtered at a young age have relatively less fat, and the fat has a lower iodine number and melting point than do comparable ewes; (d)age and weight at slaughter are relatively easily controlled and are very important to the uniformity and quality of the product produced; (e) environmental temperature may influence the melting point of fat produced by as much as 10%; (f) preslaughter stress of lambs should be avoided as detrimental to the raw carcass, but effects seem to be undetectable in cooked meat; and (g) production schedules for lambs can be adjusted to provide a better-balanced supply of young lamb throughout the year.

Nutrition reports indicate that (a) level of feeding significantly influences degree of fatness but has only a small effect, if any, on composition of the fat-free carcass; (b) self-feeding increases uniformity of the lambs;(c) the grinding and pelleting of roughages increase feed intake and rate of passage through the digestive tract and the grinding and pelleting of corn reduce feed intake and lower C₂:C₃ ratio of VFA in the rumen; (d) heat treatment of grains may influence VFA ratios in the rumen; (e) dietary antibiotics can alter composition of body fat and efficiency of gains; (f) DES, at appropriate levels, significantly improves rate and efficiency of gain and, of more importance to the consumer, results in less subcutaneous fat without apparently changing the desirability of the meat as evaluated by taste panels (other drugs do not presently appear suitable for practical application); and (g) the flavoring of meat from dietary constituents seems to be a remote possibility unless some undesirable by-product feed is used. "Consumer-preferred lamb" can be produced more uniformly and more efficiently than is now common practice simply by applying information already available. Research efforts, particularly rather comprehensive factorially-designed experiments to identify interactions, need to be conducted to provide necessary data to lamb producers who wish to greatly intensify their production to meet specifications of mass-distribution food markets.

¹ As defined broadly by the Industrywide Lamb and Wool Planning Committee at the January 18,1964, meeting of the National Wool Growers' Association, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

² Invited paper presented at the 57th Annual Meeting, American Society of Animal Science, East Lansing, Michigan.

³ The assistance of I. M. Brookes is appreciated.

⁴ Department of Animal Science.