Performance, Carcass Traits and Quality of Longissimus lumborum muscle of Santa Inês lambs

The aim of this research was to evaluate carcass traits and meat quality of finishing lambs in pastures with different leaf area index with or without high protein-mineral supplementation. In this study, forty-eight young Santa Inês rams were used, with an average initial body weight of 13.5 kg and an average age of 4 months. For approximately 10 h a day, the animals had access to pastures comprised of Cynodon spp cultivar Tifton 85. In vivo measurements, including body length, anterior and posterior heights, chest perimeter, rump and thoracic widths, were evaluated. Based on the data in this study, providing supplements for sheep improved the carcass composition as increased hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, empty body weight, carcass yield, external and internal carcass lengths and thoracic depth. Moreover, supplementation increased slaughter weight, which accounts for the largest portion of the producer’s profitability. Although the use of supplements increases production costs, it also improved quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the meat, which could satisfy the consumer market. The meat from supplemented animals had a lower atherogenicity index compared to the control suggesting the meat from supplemented lambs is healthier to be consumed.