La inclusión de ácido carnósico en la dieta de corderos de cebo retrasa la decoloración de la carne

Abstract

Thirty-two Merino lambs fed barley straw and a concentrate alone (CONTROL group) or enriched with carnosic acid 0.6 g kg-1 dry matter (DM) (CARN006 group) and 1.2 g kg-1 DM (CARN012 group) or vitamin E 0.6 g kg-1 DM (VITE006 group) were used to assess the effect of these antioxidant compounds on meat quality attributes. The animals were slaughtered after being fed for at least 5 weeks with the experimental diets and longissimus thoracis and gluteus medius muscles were extracted for colour and microbiological analysis, sliced, packed under modified atmosphere conditions and kept at 4 ºC for 14 days aging. Long periods of time under storage conditions (14 days) revealed a significant lower discolouration of VITE006 samples (lower h* values) when compared to the CONTROL group, the CARN012 samples showing intermediate values, probably due to the antioxidant properties of the compounds tested. However, microbiological analyses were not significantly affected at the doses administered.