Investigation of Meat Quality, Volatilome, and Fatty Acid Composition of Meat Parts from Liangshan Semi-Fine Wool Sheep

Abstract

Liangshan Semi-fine Wool Sheep (LSWS, Ovis aries) are widely raised in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China. To provide a scientific basis for LSWS meat processing, our study investigated various parameters across six meat parts of LSWS including the neck, chuck roll, thin flank, outside flat, eye of round, and hind shank. Our findings revealed that thin flank displayed a higher pH₂₄ compared to outside flat (p < 0.05), as well as greater lightness than outside flat and hind shank (p < 0.05), along with higher redness than eye of round (p < 0.05). Hardness among six meat parts ranked in descending order as chuck roll, hind shank, outside flat, eye of round, neck, and thin flank. Meanwhile, the odor activity value decreased in the order of thin flank, eye of round, hind shank, neck, chuck roll, and outside flat. In terms of the nutritional composition, hind shank exhibited the highest protein content (p < 0.05). Thin flank also contained elevated levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs, 4977 μg/g), Σn-3 (1859 μg/g) and Σn-6 (2962 μg/g) fatty acids (p < 0.05). Regarding human health implications, thin flank showed a lower thrombogenicity index (p < 0.05). This study undertook a comprehensive analysis of meat quality and nutritional attributes across six LSWS meat parts, providing a scientific foundation for LSWS meat industry development and assisting consumers in making informed purchasing decisions.

Keywords: Liangshan Semi-fine Wool Sheep; fatty acid; meat quality; muscle fiber; texture; volatilome.

Figure 1

Liangshan Semi-fine Wool Sheep.

Figure 2

Muscle fiber characteristics of meat parts from Liangshan Semi-fine Wool Sheep. (A) Muscle fiber density. (B) Muscle fiber diameter. (C) H&E staining of cross-sections; bar = 10 µm. Data are shown as the average with SD, and average values sharing the same letter were not significantly different (p < 0.05). n = 4.

Figure 3

The amount (A) and odor activity value (B) of volatile substances in meat parts from Liangshan Semi-fine Wool Sheep. n = 4.