Comparative Evaluation of Proximate Chemical Composition and Eating Quality of Meat from Three Selected Ethiopian Sheep Breeds in Different Levels of Concentrate Supplement

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to assess the influence of sheep breed and concentrate supplement level on proximate chemical composition and eating quality of mutton. At the end of 90 days fattening, all sheep were slaughtered and 6 to 13 rib position of longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle was sampled for meat quality assessments. Higher a* (15.5±0.12), b* (12.9±0.15), and ultimate pH (5.8±0.03) values were recorded in LL muscle of Washera breed than Blackhead Ogaden (BHO) and Horro breeds. However, Washera sheep had lower L* (34.7±0.29) (P<0.001) than BHO sheep. Sheep consumed L2 diet produced mutton with higher intramuscular fat (IMF), lower moisture, and protein than those fed L1 diet. BHO sheep displayed lower protein and higher IMF than Horro and Washera sheep. Lower flavour and overall acceptability were recorded for BHO meat. In conclusion, the study revealed that meat of the three studied sheep breeds differ in nutritional and sensory quality attributes.