Effect of intensive fattening of lambs with forages on the fatty acid profile of intramuscular and subcutaneous fat

Abstract

The effect of forage and breed of lambs on the fatty acid profile of intramuscular fat in m. longissimus lumborum (LL) and depot fat (SCF) above this muscle was investigated. The study was carried out in two replications on 36 Koluda sheep (KS) and Ile de France×KS (IF×KS) ram-lambs fattened intensively to 32-37 kg of body weight. Lambs were fed ad libitum the same concentrate mixture and different roughage supplements: grass hay in group C (control), field forage fed in a sheep house in group F, and pasture grazing (4 h/day) in group P. In the case of LL fat, the composition of fatty acids was found to deteriorate in lambs receiving forages compared to lambs from group C. Lambs grazed on pasture (P) had a higher content of LL fat (2.31 and 1.90% in P and C, respectively; P