Suckling or non-suckling? Sensory characterization of commercialized lamb meat according to feeding
View/ Open
Date
2023-08-25Author
Bravo Lamas, Leire
Aldai Elkoro-Iribe, Noelia
Metadata
Show full item record
Food Science & Nutrition 11(10) : 6544–6559 (2023)
Abstract
Consumption of meat from suckling lambs is typical in some regions. However, sensory
differences between meat from suckling and non-suckling
lambs are barely described
in previous studies. The objectives of the present study were (a) to develop a
method to describe the sensory characteristics of lamb meat, including the development
of sensory references for odor, flavor, and texture attributes; and (b) to study
the sensory differences between lamb meat commercialized as “suckling lamb” and
that commercialized without this designation. Twenty-three
sensory attributes were
selected, and their corresponding sensory references were developed. A detailed procedure
to evaluate the samples was also set up. This methodology was used to characterize
samples (n = 48) from a survey of lamb meat from different types of stores
(n = 23). Half of the samples were commercialized as sucking lamb and the other half
(older lambs) without this indication. Samples were bought in two seasons (May and
December) to consider possible seasonal effects. Samples were evaluated in triplicate
by 12 trained assessors. Data were analyzed by ANOVA (p ≤ .05). Apart from how
long juiciness was maintained (“maintained juiciness”), all the selected attributes were
appropriate to discriminate between samples. Lamb meat sold as “suckling” did not
differ from the other lamb samples in odor and flavor, but there were clear differences
in texture attributes: meat sold as suckling lamb was tenderer and juicier, with higher
crumbliness, and with lower fibrousness, chewiness, and residue than non-suckling
lamb meat. Several sensory characteristics, mainly related to odor and flavor, varied
according to the season.
Collections
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as © 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.