Review: Factors affecting sheep carcass and meat quality attributes

Area of Science:

• Animal and Food Sciences
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Meat Science

Background:

• Sheep meat quality is highly variable, influenced by diverse farming systems (extensive outdoor to intensive indoor) and animal ages at slaughter.
• Country-specific consumer preferences significantly shape perceptions of sheep meat quality, often linked to production methods like dairy or grassland systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically review factors affecting sheep carcass and meat quality across six key attributes: commercial, organoleptic, nutritional, technological, safety, and image.
• To identify critical production periods and factors influencing meat quality, as well as methodological challenges in predicting sensory attributes.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing current knowledge on sheep meat quality.
• Analysis of factors influencing quality dimensions, including animal diet, age, farming systems, and genetic selection.
• Identification of potential trade-offs between different quality attributes.

Main Results:

• Meat quality is a continuum from animal conception to consumption, with gestation and pre-slaughter/slaughter periods being critical.
• Diet impacts fatty acid profiles, antioxidants, and volatiles; age affects meat quality significantly.
• Agro-ecological systems offer image/nutritional benefits but risk commercial and organoleptic variability; genetic selection for lean yield can reduce eating quality.

Conclusions:

• Balancing diverse quality dimensions (nutritional, sensory, commercial, image) is crucial for sheep meat production.
• Predictive tools for meat quality are needed to inform consumers, guide farmers, and support genetic selection.
• Future research should address antagonisms between quality attributes and optimize production for varied consumer demands.