Enhanced Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Contents in Muscle and Edible Organs of Australian Prime Lambs Grazing Lucerne and Cocksfoot Pastures

The enhancement of health-beneficial omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA) contents in the muscle, liver, heart and kidney of Australian prime lambs through pasture grazing and supplementation with oil infused pellets was investigated. Forty-eight first-cross prime lambs were randomly assigned into a split-plot design with pasture type as the main plot effect and pellet supplementation as a sub-plot effect in a feeding trial that lasted for nine weeks. The n-3 LC-PUFA content in Longissimus dorsi muscle of all lambs was well above the 30 mg threshold for “omega-3 source” nutrition claim under the Australian Food Standards and Guidelines. Pasture type impacted the fatty acid contents in muscle, heart and kidney of prime lambs. Lambs grazing cocksfoot only had the highest 18:3n-3 (ALA) and n-3 LC-PUFA contents (67.1 mg/100g and 55.2 mg/100 g, respectively). Supplementation of pellets with or without oil infusion to grazing lambs decreased the ALA and n-3 LC-PUFA contents and increased n-6/n-3 ratio in Longissimus dorsi muscle. The fatty acid content in internal organs of grazing lambs was also affected by pellet supplementation. The liver and kidney of grazing lambs were both “good sources” (60 mg/100 g) of omega-3. The cocksfoot grass showed considerable potential for producing healthy, premium quality meat with high contents of n-3 and n-3 LC-PUFA which may consequently enhance the omega-3 intake of Australian lamb consumers.

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Enhanced Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Contents in Muscle and Edible Organs of Australian Prime Lambs Grazing Lucerne and Cocksfoot Pastures

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu10121985 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1985 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hung Le ◽

Quang Nguyen ◽

Don Nguyen ◽

John Otto ◽

Bunmi Malau-Aduli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acid ◽

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid ◽

Fatty Acid Content ◽

Longissimus Dorsi ◽

Omega 3 ◽

Longissimus Dorsi Muscle ◽

Dorsi Muscle ◽

Liver And Kidney ◽

Standards And Guidelines ◽

Main Plot

The enhancement of health-beneficial omega-3 long–chain (≥C20) polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA) contents in the muscle, liver, heart, and kidney of Australian prime lambs through pasture grazing and supplementation with oil infused pellets was investigated. Forty-eight first-cross prime lambs were randomly assigned into a split-plot design with pasture type as the main plot effect and pellet supplementation as a sub-plot effect in a feeding trial that lasted for nine weeks. The n-3 LC-PUFA content in Longissimus dorsi muscle of all lambs was well above the 30 mg threshold for “omega-3 source” nutrition claim under the Australian Food Standards and Guidelines. Pasture type impacted the fatty acid contents in muscle, heart, and kidney of prime lambs. Lambs grazing cocksfoot grass only had high 18:3n-3 (ALA) and n-3 LC-PUFA contents (67.1 mg/100 g and 55.2 mg/100 g, respectively) in the Longissimus dorsi muscle, which was not significantly different (p > 0.8990) from the contents of lambs grazing only lucerne. Supplementation of pellets with or without oil infusion to grazing lambs generally decreased the ALA and n-3 LC-PUFA contents and increased the n-6/n-3 ratio in the Longissimus dorsi muscle. The fatty acid content in the internal organs of grazing lambs was also affected by pellet supplementation. The liver and kidney of grazing lambs were both “good sources” (60 mg/100 g) of omega-3. The cocksfoot grass showed considerable potential for producing healthy, premium quality meat with high contents of n-3 and n-3 LC-PUFA, which may consequently enhance the omega-3 intake of Australian lamb consumers.

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