Fatty acids and oxidative stability of meat from lambs fed carob-containing diets

Male Comisana lambs were individually stalled and, for 56 days, were fed concentrates with 60% barley (n = 8 lambs), or concentrates in which barley was partially replaced by 24% or 35% carob pulp (n = 9 lambs in each group). The intramuscular fatty acids were analyzed and the color stability, lipid and protein oxidation were measured in fresh meat overwrapped with polyvinyl chloride film at 0, 3 or 6 days of storage at 4 °C in the dark. Carob pulp increased the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in muscle, including the rumenic acid (P < 0.01), and reduced the saturated fatty acids (P < 0.01) and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio (P = 0.01). The meat did not undergo extensive oxidative deterioration and the diet did not affect the oxidative stability parameters. Therefore, carob in lamb diet could increase PUFA in muscle without compromising meat oxidative stability.