Sensory quality and chemical composition of meat from lambs fed diets enriched with fish and rapeseed oils, carnosic acid and seleno-compounds

• We study effects of fish oil (FO), carnosic acid (CA) and chemical forms of dietary Se (SeY) and (SeVI) on lamb meat quality.
• The diet with SeVI reduced atherogenic and thrombogenic fatty acid levels in meat.
• The diet with SeVI reduced the fatty acid level in meat.
• The diet with FO, CA and SeVI reduced juiciness, tenderness and overall meat quality.
• The diet with FO and CA reduced the ratio of n-6PUFA to n-3PUFA in meat.

The aim of the study was to evaluate longissimus muscle quality in lambs fed diets including fish oil (FO), rapeseed oil (RO), carnosic acid (CA) and seleno-compounds. Lambs were fed one of diets: Group I — the basal diet (BD) with 3% RO; Group II — BD with 2% RO and 1% FO; Group III — BD with 2% RO, 1% FO and 0.1% CA; Group IV — BD with 2% RO, 1% FO, 0.1% CA and 0.35 ppm Se as selenized-yeast; Group V — BD with 2% RO, 1% FO, 0.1% CA and 0.35 ppm Se as selenate. The addition of FO and FO, CA and selenium in the inorganic form was characterized by lowest tenderness and juiciness (P < 0.05). The lowest concentration of fatty acids (ΣFAs), atherogenic-FAs (ASFA) and thrombogenic-FAs (TSFA) in the muscle was found for Group V (P < 0.05). Experimental diets decreased indexes of ASFA and TSFA in muscle. The lowest ratio (P < 0.05) of n-6polyunsaturated-FAs to n-3polyunsaturated-FAs was obtained for Group III.