Taste of mountain range in lamb meat T. Ådnøya, A. Hauga, O. Sørheimb, M.S. Thomassena, Z. Varszegic, and L.O. Eika aDepartment

of Animal and Aquacultural sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), P.O. Box 5025, N-1432 Ås, Norway bMatforsk-Norwegian Food Research Institute, Norway cUniversity of Debrecen, Hungary The International Skjervold-symposium 2005; Lamb Innovation ”Breeding for high quality lamb carcasses”

Motivation • consumers may prefer meat of lambs from mountain range over lambs from fertilized home pastures – measurable difference? – taste difference?

• marketing of lambs’ meat with value added

Acknowledgements The active participation and financing of this study by ..

Norwegian Meat – Gilde (Alsaker, Avdem, Grindheim, Liahagen); Barony in Rosendal (Øvstebø) and

governmental institutions (NFR, SND / SPIN) ..are highly appreciated

Background • 2.4 million sheep in Norway • most of the country is rangeland • Norwegian lambs – often slaughtered directly from unimproved mountain pastures – meat considered almost an organic product – variety of grasses, herbs and browse – as snow melts in summer -> fresh, nutritive, and noncontaminated pasture

• not documented effect on meat quality and flavour in Norway

Literature • Research in Australia, Iceland, Greece, Italy, New Zealand and Great Britain has dokumented small, but significant effects of pasture on lamb quality – – – – – – – –

Arsenos et al., 2002; Piasentier, et al., 2002; Priolo et al., 2002; Young, et al., 1994; Notter et al, 1991; Melton, 1990; Thorgeirsson et al., 1990; Park et al., 1972.

Animals and pastures • 150 Norwegian crossbred sheep allocated in 1 lowland + 2 mountain pasture groups • age, lambing date, litter size (mostly 2)

• lambing April - indoor • 2nd week of May: fertilized timothy meadow, then fertilized non-cultivated pasture until July 1. 2001 Thereafter • Lowland: on same pastures • Mountain: Hardangervidda plateau • 800 – 1400 metres of altitude (good quality high range)

Hardangervidda – vest

Comments • unusually many sheep came down from mountain too early this year • two mountain groups were grouped in one

Gathering and transport • people and sheep dogs gathered mountain group • 1-2 days in paddock in mountains • trucked to lowland farm - Rosendal • mountain and lowland group trucked together to slaughterhouse. • stayed overnight before slaughtering September 10th

Slaughtering • All lambs weighing >40 kg – low voltage electrical stimulation – on hooks in chilled storage at 0oC

22 carcasses chosen per group (not random samples of groups, but trimmed samples)

• • • • • •

age of dams 2-6 years date of birth of lambs April 8th - May 5th twin lambs carcass weights 15.5-22 kg EUROP grade R+ - OEUROP fatness 1+ - 3-

At Norwegian Food Research Institute: • saddles (both loins m. longissimus dorsi + bones) • wrapped in O2 barrier plastic bags • conditioned for 11 days at 2oC • 2 samples from each group removed: pH>6 • sensory panel: 11 trained members • cooked 1.5 cm loin slices scored 1-9 for: – odour (sweet, sour, metallic), – taste (sweet, sour, bitter, metallic, cloying, gamey, rancid) – texture (hardness, tenderness, greasiness, and juiciness)

At Department of Animal Science: • contents of DM (dry matter), fat, Kjeldahl–N (protein) and ash • fatty acid composition – gas chromatography (Ulberth & Henninger, 1992)

• colour: – L*a*b* lightness, redness, yellowness – scored visually (red 1-5)

Extra experiment 1: Mountain Northern

Norway (Lofoten) • 11 male + 9 female lambs (crossbred Norwegian) • lambing May 1 • fertilized pasture one week • then mountain range 0 – 500 metres altitude (good quality) • slaughtering Sept. 10 in Northern Norway

Extra experiment 2: Mountain Central

Southern Norway (Gol, Hallingdal) • 16 male + 4 female lambs (crossbred Norwegian) • lambing May 4 • barn fed 14 days • mountain range Eastern Hardangervidda 1000 – 1400 metres altitude • slaughtering Sept. 11

Results - Main experiment • all animals from one test farm • well balanced before pasture season • carcass within mountain and lowland groups selected within same limits of grading, age, etc

Texture 8 Mountain, Western Coast of Norway

7 6

Lowland, Western Coas of Norway

5 4 3

Mountain, Northern Norway

2

Mountain, Central Norway

1

in es s Ju ic

in es s G re as

s Te nd er ne s

Ha rd ne ss

0

Odour 6 5

Mountain, Western Coast of Norway

4

Lowland, Western Coas of Norway

3

Mountain, Northern Norway

2

Mountain, Central Norway

1 0 Sweet

Sour

Metallic

Rancid

Taste 6 Mountain, Western Coast of Norw ay

5

Low land, Western Coast of Norw ay

4 3

Mountain, Northern Norw ay

2 Mountain, Central Norw ay

1

Ra nc id

Cl oy ing Ga me y

Me ta llic

Bi tte r

So ur

Sw

ee t

0

Colour 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Mountain, Western Coast of Norway Lowland, Western Coast of Norway

(a Ye *) llo wn es s (b Vi *) su al (R ed 15)

Re dn es s

Li gh tn es s

(L *)

Mountain, Northern Norway

Chemical analyses 90 80 70

Mountain, Western Coast of Norw ay

60 50 40

Low land, Western Coast of Norw ay

30

Mountain, Northern Norw ay

20 10 0 DM content of meat, %

Total fat of Protein of DM Ash of DM DM

Fatty acid composition (%) 60 50

Mountain, Western Coast of Norway

40

Lowland, Western Coast of Norway

30 20

Mountain, Northern Norway

10

un sa tu ra te d Po ly

on oun sa tu ra te d M

Sa tu ra te d

0

Summary main experiment Compared to the lowland group, the mountain group of the main experiment had/was: • • • • • •

heavier better graded less dry matter (DM) in loin muscle less fat more protein in % of DM more polyunsaturated fat

Summary main experiment, cont. Compared to the lowland group, the mountain group of the main experiment had/was: • texture: less hard, more tender, less greasy, more juicy • odour: more sour, less rancid • taste: more sour, more metallic, less cloying, less rancid • colour: less red

Summary – Extra lambs • Northern Norway – coast mountains • Southern Central Norway – inland mountains • not balanced for sex, age, etc • results may be due to several factors in addition to pasture: type of sheep on farms, handling, slaughtering, .. • variation in results must be expected

Conclusion • small significant differences found in chemical content, and sensory quality of lambs meat – between mountain range and lowland pasture – mountain and lowland pasture may be used as an objectively founded argument in marketing lambs meat – consumers may not notice the differences in taste etc.

• other factors, like geographical region, slaughtering technique, handling etc. may be more important for differences in taste etc. • could be used for a marketing of meat products from Norwegian sheep

Perspectives • Taste of breed of lambs could be documented as well – Spæl sheep (nordic short tail, double coat) are declining in number due to EUROP classification, .. – ’Wild sheep’ (small spæl kept under extensive conditions on coast) are sold for a high price

Statistical analyses (proc mixed in SAS 6.12)

For CONTENT - DM, fat, protein, and fatty acids: y = sex + slaughter weight + pasture + e (1) For TASTE, ODOUR, TEXTURE: (1) + panel member + lamb For COLOUR: (1) + time (First, Second) + lamb

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