Lamb and mutton flavour: Contributing factors and chemical aspects

A review of the occurrence and chemistry of lamb/mutton flavour is presented. The low consumption of both lamb and mutton has been attributed to the flavour of these meats. There is general agreement that the flavour of meat from younger animals is more desirable than that from older ones. Further, the flavour intensity of meat from wethers is less than that of ewes, less than rams. Breed appears to have an effect; mutton flavour is more predominant in the fine-wool breeds and is apparently directly related to the fineness of the wool. However, no significant sire effects within or between breeds have been reported. Nutritional factors appear to play a major role in the flavour intensity of sheep meat. Certain foodstuffs (legumes and grains) can intensify the flavour, whereas withdrawal of sheep from grazing before slaughter can reduce it. There is no reliable evidence to implicate slaughtering and processing factors (except heating) in flavour development. although the exact chemical compounds responsible for lamb/mutton flavour are not yet known, they are undoubtedly lipid soluble, with the carbonyl and/or sulphur-containing compounds as the most promising candidates. Further, there appears to be no consistent expression of a 'characteristic' lamb/mutton flavour.